Shackled in chains and crouched in front of a banner bearing civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr's famous quote "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" along with the message "Pass Animal Welfare Act, 2011", three members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India protested outside Parliament on the day before internationally celebrated Human Rights Day (10 December). The day is also Animal Rights Day.

PETA India displayed the Universal Declaration of Animal Rights – a declaration that takes its name from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and is supported by animal protection groups around the world. PETA's point? That we must break down the false barrier between humans and other species that leads humans to mistreat animals and that we must think about how our actions either perpetuate or prevent abuse and exploitation.

The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, is a woefully outdated law that imposes fines so low that they have virtually no deterrent effect. The Ministry of Environment and Forests has drafted a new law – the Animal Welfare Act, 2011 – that would dramatically increase the penalties for animal abuse. The current penalty for cruelty to animals is 10 to 50 rupees for the first offence, which may go up to 100 rupees for a subsequent offence or up to three months in prison. The new proposed act would provide for a penalty of 10,000 to 25,000 rupees or imprisonment for up to two years – or both – for a first offence and 50,000 to one lakh rupees and imprisonment for one to three years for a subsequent offence.

Please write to the Ministry of Environment and Forests to urge it to pass the Animal Welfare Act, 2011. Take action here.

Have you ever thought: What if the right to peacefully assemble were granted to animals and they could organize a protest to demand better laws for their treatment?

Well, we did. This is why we organized a never-before-attempted demonstration outside the iconic Ramlila Maidan in Delhi where dozens of PETA volunteers wearing cat, dog, goat, cow and other animal masks held placards urging the government to pass the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) 2011.

Why is the AWA 2011 so important?

Simply because it has the potential to make the lives of animals in India a lot better. Penalties for cruelty under the current animal protection law – the 5-decades-old Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 – are woefully weak and do little to deter animal abusers.

"A 10-rupee fine won't stop abusers from overloading a bullock cart or beating a homeless dog", says PETA India campaign coordinator Himani Shetty. "While the government keeps the new law on the back burner, animals are suffering and dying and their abusers are getting away with murder. The new Animal Welfare Act has the teeth that it needs to take a bite out of cruelty."

While this protest helped us to get the word out, we still need more support. Please write to the Ministry of Environment and Forests to urge it to pass the act. Take action here!

"Rev Your Engines – Go Vegan." Yes, lucky Delhiites were greeted by two stunning PETA members wearing sexy green pit-crew outfits standing next to a race car in the lead-up to the Formula 1 race weekend and Grand Prix.

The pit princesses' point? That the best thing that racing drivers and enthusiasts can do if they want to get up to speed is jettison meat and dairy products from their diet and go vegan.

Quick – put the pedal to the medal and the best racing fuel in your tanks by going vegan! Shifting away from unhealthy meat and dairy products helps protect the environment, saves animals' lives and helps keep our bodies running at peak performance. So what are you waiting for?

P.S. If you were wondering how we managed to get this awesome race car for our demonstration, the credit goes to the students of National School of Information Technology in Dwarka. They designed the car themselves! We would also like to thank ace photographer Mukesh Khugsal for taking photos.

 "Non-violence begins at your dinner plate" – that was the message that PETA India's Lettuce Lady gave to Pune's residents on World Peace Day. Check out these awesome pictures from our latest demonstration in the city of Pune, where our Lettuce Lady looked stunning in her tube dress made entirely of purple cabbage leaves and accessorised with peas.

Wondering how veganism equals peace?

In today's meat and dairy industries, chickens have their throats cut while they're still conscious, fish are suffocated or cut open while they're still alive on the decks of fishing boats and calves are taken away from their mothers within hours of birth.

Let's go vegan and send a strong message to an industry that thrives on violence and bloodshed.

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This Janmashtami, show your love for cows by going milk-free! Why? Because dairy products are detrimental to human health and dairy farms are notorious for their abuse of animals.

To get this message out, PETA India staged a demonstration in Ahmedabad city centre during which activists dressed as Lord Krishna and a cow handed out free samples of healthy and delicious Staeta soya milk. The "cow" held a sign reading "Be Kind to Cows: Go Dairy-Free, Choose Soya".

Campaigner and nutritionist Bhuvaneshwari Gupta says, "Lord Krishna would never approve of the severe cruelty to cows found in today's dairy industry. Consumption of dairy products contributes to the onset of diabetes, obesity and respiratory problems. During Janmashtami – or at any other time – soya milk is not only the smart choice but also the kind choice."

PETA India's investigations have found that cows and buffaloes on dairy factory farms spend most of their days confined to tiny stalls. Many farmers inject the animals with the illegal drug oxytocin, believing that it will boost milk production. Animals injected with oxytocin often suffer from severe stomach cramps that are similar to labour pains. Calves on dairy factory farms are either abandoned or sent to slaughter so that the milk meant for them can be sold to humans.

Take the pledge to help cows by kicking dairy products out of your diet today. 

Just in time for Mother's Day, PETA India supporters pulled off a great demonstration to save mother cows from cruelty in Chennai. PETA's "mother cow" was accompanied by two lovely soya milkmaids who handed out free samples of delicious and cruelty-free soya milk donated by ProSoya Foods, the maker of Staeta soya milk.

Through this cute demonstration, the PETA supporters wanted to give Chennai residents some food for thought about how they can help stop the daily suffering of mother cows on dairy farms by simply switching to a delicious meat- and dairy-free vegan diet.

There's no better gift we can give to mother cows and our own arteries on Mother's Day than to go vegan!