• New rules were framed under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960 in 2000 and 2001.

These rules state that it is illegal to beat animals; rub chillis into their eyes; break their tails; deny them food, water and rest; kill them in view of each other and to otherwise abuse them, yet these atrocities continued unabated. These rules give persons authorised by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) the right to inspect slaughterhouses unannounced and state that a Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) must be established in each district of every state; however, unlawful cruelties go on in slaughterhouses and most state and district-level committees remain inactive or non-existent.

• PETA collected information on two separate petitions filed more than five years ago against the illegal activities of Deonar abattoir by R.K. Joshi and All-India Animal Welfare Association (AIAWA) that have yet to come before the court.

• PETA began correspondence with officials from Malaysia, the Philippines, Mauritius, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Gabon, Bahrain, Yemen and Turkey, urging them to investigate whether their country is purchasing meat from Deonar. Several foreign authorities have expressed serious concern. PETA authorities began planning to travel to meet with various foreign officials.

• PETA prepared an instructional video for police detailing the plight of animals transported and slaughtered illegally and the police’s role in ending this abuse at the request of H.J. Dora, Andhra Pradesh’s director general of police (DGP). The video was narrated by Uttah Pradesh’s former inspector general of police, A.K. Banerjee, and was distributed to the DGP’s in all states. A letter was sent to PETA’s contacts all over India, asking them to urge their DGP’s to show the video to their police force and trainees.

• PETA’s Poorva Joshipura sent a follow-up letter to Maharashtra state-level officials and Mumbai municipal authorities, having not received any word from them regarding any rectifying actions being taken at Deonar.

• PETA activists beat a fake cow to ‘death’ in front of Gateway of India to educate residents and visitors as to how Indian animals are treated during transport to, and slaughter at, Deonar, in an effort to urge the Indian government to take action.

• The president of the Dindigul District lorry drivers association in Tamil Nadu informed PETA of atrocities inflicted by transporters on animals obtained from Orissa and Andhra Pradesh during transport to Kerala. He said that besides overcrowding, cruelties included beating animals with iron rods and poking their eyes with screwdrivers. He informed PETA that severe overcrowding of animals remained rampant in Tamil Nadu.

• Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) confirmed financial support of Rs. 1.25 crore for the improvement of slaughter facilities. Rs. 96 lakh was granted to Deonar, but no actual improvements for animals were made there. APEDA wrote to Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh officials requesting the enforcement of transport laws, but overcrowding remained a serious problem in all three states. The federal government has also agreed to free monies for state slaughterhouse improvements; however, not a single state has used this money to improve welfare standards and most states have ignored the offer.

Late 1998-1999

2000
January-February
March-April
May-June
July-August
September-October
November-December


2001
January-February
March-April
May-June
July-August
September-October
November-December