Udupi: FIR Registered for Killing a Dog, PETA India Offers Reward of Up to Rs. 50,000 for Information Leading to Arrest
After being alerted about an incident involving the killing of a community dog by poisoning, PETA India worked with the caregiver of the dog, Madhu Mohan, to ensure that the Ajekar Police Station registered a First Information Report (FIR). The incident took place on 06 June in Ajekar, Karkala, Udupi. The FIR was registered under Section 325 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. A post-mortem examination of the dog has also been conducted to support further investigation.
Section 325 of the BNS, 2023, categorises the maiming, killing or poisoning of any animal as a cognisable offence and prescribes a punishment of imprisonment for a term which may extend to five years, or with a fine, or with both.
Anyone with information about this crime can contact PETA India at [email protected]. Upon request, informants’ identities will be kept confidential.
Those who abuse animals often move on to harming humans. For everyone’s safety, it’s imperative that members of the public report cruelty to animals such as this one to the police. We commend Shri Manjunath Prabhu, Station House Officer of Ajekar Police Station, for promptly registering the FIR and sending a clear message that cruelty to animals will not be tolerated.
PETA India recommends that perpetrators of animal abuse undergo a 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 to animals were [three] times more likely to commit other crimes, including murder, rape, robbery, assault, harassment, threats, and drug/substance abuse.”
PETA India has long campaigned for strengthening the PCA Act, 1960. This act contains outdated, inadequate penalties, such as a maximum fine of only Rs 50 for convicted first-time offenders (although the BNS, 2023, prescribes stronger punishments).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 Act, PETA India recommended significantly increasing penalties for cruelty to animals.
