“No one gives anyone the right to hit an animal”
THE CASE SUMMARY
A labrador who had strayed from his apartment was allegedly assaulted with a stick by a resident of Gaur Metropolis sixteenth Avenue in Better Noida West on Friday, leaving the dog with significant injuries to its head and jaw. On Saturday, a FIR was lodged at the Bisrakh police station.
A case has been filed under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act’s Parts 11 (treating animals cruelly), 504 (felony intimidation), and 429 (killing or maiming an animal). Additional inquiry into the crime is ongoing, according to Umesh Bahadur, station home officer of Bisrakh police station.
The victim lab, Monk, has injuries to his head and jaw. Up until dusk, his jaw was heavily bleeding.
On social media, a video of the incident is currently trending. It shows a dog looking through a door before it suddenly opens and a person carrying a long stick emerges. The dog retreats a few steps and waits far from him out of fear.
The abusive man then raises his stick in a menacing manner and appears to strike the dog on the pinnacle. The dog makes a hasty exit.
STATISTICS OF ANIMAL CRUELTY CASES IN INDIA.
4,93,910 animals were involved in various occurrences between 2010 and 2020, according to research released by the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO) and All Creatures Great and Small (ACGS). This does not imply that all of these animals were treated cruelly, though.
According to the paper, the majority of states do not keep track of animal-related offences, so there is no data to study. The organisation gathered some statistics and conducted secondary research using newspaper articles and other sources.
The study lists 258 cases of crime against wild animals and birds, 720 cases of crime against street animals, 741 cases of crime against working animals, 588 cases of crime against companion animals, 88 cases of crime against farm animals.
A total of 1,000 assault incidents were recorded, of which 82 were sexual assault, 266 involved cold-blooded murder, and over 400 involved violent assaults such as beatings, kicks, torture, acid or boiling water throws, body mutilations, and attacks with blunt objects or knives. Of the incidents that were recorded, 20 involved child assault.
DISMAY AND BACKLASH FOR ANIMAL RIGHTS.
People who oppose animal rights would rather that these creatures perish from starvation. They ask why murdering a dog is punished but killing a mosquito does not result in a FIR being filed.
This logic is shallow no matter from which angle practical, religious or legal it’s debated from. No matter what perspective it is discussed from—practical, theological, or legal—this argument is flawed. The magnitude of crimes should be accounted for because it’s not limited to just thrashing.
Due to incidents of dog attacks, many have turned their backs on efforts to protect stray dogs from cruel practises. Why should harmed dogs in other instances suffer pain and ignorance?
LAW AND ORDER AUTHORITIES IGNORANCE.
THE Union government had proposed an amendment to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 (POCA) to increase penalties against animal cruelty from Rs 50 to Rs 75,000 or “three times the cost of the animal” besides up to five years imprisonment.
The government admits that the PCA act’s sanctions are ineffective as a deterrent.
The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act has been in effect for 60 years and has not undergone any significant revisions. The monetary penalties for offences against animals are still in the low tens to one hundred rupee level. This might be one of the reasons why the law hasn’t been able to stop animal abuse.
The administration acknowledged in the Lok Sabha that it has received several recommendations, petitions, and pleas from various social groups asking for the existing PCA act penalties to be increased.To replace the 1960 law, a draught bill titled the Animal Welfare Act 2011 was put out in 2011, however it failed to gain much traction.
It is past time for India to draught new legislation to replace the PCA act that contains strict requirements. India must also make sure that, as is the case with other offences, the NCRB or other agencies maintain and make available data on cases of animal cruelty.
India may learn from nations like the UK, whose penalties include a lifetime ban from possessing pets, a maximum prison sentence of 51 weeks, and a fine of up to £20,000.
