For Immediate Release:
01 May 2024
Contact:
Meet Ashar; AsharM@petaindia.org
Hiraj Laljani; HirajL@petaindia.org
Mathura – After learning from a disturbing viral video that a community dog was beaten to death with sticks by two individuals at Govardhan Chowk, Shri Radha Puram, Mathura, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India worked with the superintendent of police, Mathura, to ensure that a first information report (FIR) was promptly registered. The FIR was registered under Section 11 of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960, against unknown persons. The two men accused were subsequently identified and arrested. PETA India is now calling on the police to add Section 429 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860, to the charge to ensure that the perpetrators of this horrific crime are punished to the fullest extent of law. Section 429 of the IPC is a stringent provision which makes the maiming or killing of any animal a cognisable offence and provides for a jail term of up to five years, a fine, or both.
“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 Sunayana Basu. “The fear and suffering that this dog endured before succumbing to this abuse would have been horrific. We applaud Mathura Police for their relentless efforts to trace and apprehend the accused, sending a clear message that cruelty to animals will not be tolerated. We implore the Mathura Police to now add Section 429 of the IPC to the charge to ensure that a strong case is made against the perpetrators.”
PETA India also recommends that perpetrators of animal abuse undergo psychiatric evaluation and receive counselling, as abusing animals indicates 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 animal cruelty were 3 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“animals are not ours to abuse in any way” – has long campaigned for strengthening the PCA Act, 1960, which contains outdated, inadequate penalties, such as a maximum fine of only Rs 50 for convicted first-time offenders, although the IPC prescribes more severe consequences. In a proposal sent to the central government regarding an amendment to the Act, PETA India recommended significantly increasing cruelty-to-animals penalties.
For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
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