Belagavi and Hubli-Dharwad Police, Animal Husbandry Department & Local Volunteers Invite PETA India to Lead Workshops to Combat Cruelty to Animals
Police officers from Belagavi city and rural police, and, Hubli Dharwad city and rural police gathered at the Old Samudhaya Bhavana and the City Armed Reserve Police Headquarters, respectively, attended a workshop conducted by PETA India on combating cruelty to animals.
This important initiative was made possible under the visionary leadership of Shri Bhushan Borse, IPS, City Police Commissioner, Belagavi; Dr Bheemashankar S Guled, IPS, Superintendent of Police, Belagavi; Sri N. Shashikumar, IPS, City Police Commissioner, Hubli-Dharwad; and Dr. Gopal N Byakod, IPS, Superintendent of Police, Dharwad.
Nearly 100 police officers in Belgaum and over 130 officers from Hubli-Dharwad—including constables, head constables, assistant sub-inspectors, sub-inspectors, and police inspectors—participated in a three-hour workshop. The session covered key provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960; the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 (as amended in 2022); the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023; and other animal protection laws.
Similar workshops were conducted for Assistant Directors and Veterinary Officers of the Animal Husbandry Department in Belagavi city, and for activists and local animal rescuers/volunteers. The Assistant Directors and Veterinary Officers discussed their roles and responsibilities in cruelty to animals investigations, and the activists were trained in the laws and legal procedures to enable a smooth working relationship with the law enforcement authorities.
The Belagavi and Hubli-Dharwad Police aim to crack down on cruelty to animals, and PETA India is pleased to support them in this effort. On behalf of animals and society at large, PETA India is thankful to the Belagavi and Hubli-Dharwad Police for taking cruelty to animals seriously.
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 for Border Security Force officials in Gwalior (October 2024), the Chhattisgarh State Police (November 2024), the Goa State Police and Goa Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services officials (April 2025) along with North and South Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) inspectors and field officers, Pune City Police (April 2025), Nagpur City Police (May 2025).
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.
PETA India notes that 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.”
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 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.
