For Immediate Release:
05 November 2024
Contact:
Saloni Sakaria; SaloniS@petaindia.org
Hiraj Laljani; HirajL@petaindia.org
Ujjain – After a local reported a disturbing incident of a community dog being severely injured and losing an eye in an assault, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India worked with local feeder and caregiver Ms Radha Yadav and the thana in-charge at the Neelganga police station to get a first information report (FIR) registered under stringent provisions of the law. As a result of PETA India’s intervention, the FIR was registered against two accused under sections 296, 351(2), 333 and 325 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and Section 11 of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960. The jurisdictional veterinarian conducted a medical examination of the victim dog, who is in the custody of a caregiver.
“Those who abuse animals often move on to harming humans. It is imperative that members of the public report cases of cruelty to animals such as this one for everyone’s safety,” says PETA India Cruelty Response Coordinator Saloni Sakaria. “We commend Ujjain police, especially the thana in-charge of Neelganga police station, Mr Vivek Kumar Kanodiya, for sending a message that cruelty to animals will not be tolerated.”
PETA India recommends that perpetrators of animal abuse undergo psychiatric evaluation and receive counselling, as abusing animals indicates a deep psychological disturbance. Research shows that people who commit acts of cruelty to animals are often repeat offenders who move on to hurting other animals, including humans. A study published in Forensic Research & Criminology International Journal stated, “Those who engage in cruelty to animals were [three] times more likely to commit other crimes, including murder, rape, robbery, assault, harassment, threats, and drug/substance abuse.”
PETA India – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way” – has long campaigned to strengthen the PCA Act, 1960, which contains outdated, inadequate penalties, such as a maximum fine of only Rs 50 for convicted first-time offenders (although the BNS, 2023, prescribes stronger punishments). In a proposal sent to the central government regarding an amendment to the PCA Act, PETA India has recommended significantly increasing penalties for cruelty to animals.
For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
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