Central Delhi District Police Invites PETA India to Lead Workshop to Combat Cruelty to Animals
Over 50 police officers from across 15 police stations of the Central District participated in a workshop conducted by PETA India on combating cruelty to animals. The workshop was held on 2 September at the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Central District, Office Complex in Daryaganj, Central Delhi.
This important initiative was made possible under the visionary leadership of Shri Rohit Rajbir Singh, IPS, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Central District.
Over 50 police officers —including Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACPs), Police Sub-Inspectors (PSIs), Assistant Sub-Inspectors (ASIs), Head Constables (HCs) and Constables—participated in a three-hour workshop. The sessions covered key provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960; the Wild Life (Protection) Act (WPA), 1972 (as amended in 2022); the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023; and other animal protection laws. The sessions also covered the role of police personnel in addressing cruelty to animals and the legal procedures involved in handling such cases.
Recently, and for the first time, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) tracked cases of cruelty against animals in the country and compiled the data, noting registration of 9,039 cases and the arrest of 10,312 persons in 2024.
In 2021, the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations released a report revealing that in the decade prior, nearly 500,000 animals were victims of crimes.
Many violent criminals have a documented history of cruelty to animals. A study published in Forensic Research and Criminology International Journal warns, “Those who engage in cruelty to animals were [three] times more likely to commit other crimes, including murder, rape, robbery, assault, harassment, threats, and drug/substance abuse.”
This initiative is part of PETA India’s ongoing efforts to sensitise law enforcement personnel and empower animal rights activists across India to ensure that crimes against animals are addressed with the seriousness they deserve. Similar sensitisation workshops have previously been conducted with the Border Security Force in Gwalior; the Chhattisgarh State Police; the Goa State Police and Goa Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services; the Sikkim State Police; Pune City Police; Nagpur City Police; Mira-Bhayandar and Vasai-Virar Police; Belagavi district police; Hubli-Dharwad district police; Bengaluru City Police; Jammu, Kathua and Samba district police; and Bengaluru and Chikkamagaluru Police Training Schools.
PETA India has long campaigned to strengthen 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 BNS, 2023, and WPA, 1972 prescribes stronger punishments). In a proposal sent to the central government regarding an amendment to the PCA Act, PETA India has recommended significantly increasing penalties for cruelty to animals.
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