Bengaluru and Chikkamagaluru Police Training Schools Invite PETA India to Lead Workshops to Combat Cruelty to Animals

Over 150 police officers at the Police Training School (PTS), Thanisandra, Bengaluru, and Kadur PTS, Chikkamagaluru, participated in workshops conducted by PETA India on combating cruelty to animals. The workshops were held on 14 August at PTS Thanisandra and on 19 August at Kadur PTS.

PETA India Legal Advisor and Director of Cruelty Response, Meet Ashar and PETA India Senior Cruelty Response Coordinator Sinchana with Bengaluru Police Training School

This important initiative was made possible under the visionary leadership of Shri D. Devaraja, IPS, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP), Training, Karnataka; Shri H.S. Jayakrishna, Superintendent of Police cum Principal at PTS Thanisandra; and Shri N. Srinivasa, Superintendent of Police cum Principal at Kadur PTS.

Over 100 police officers at PTS Kadur in Chikkamagaluru and over 50 officers at PTS Thanisandra in Bengaluru—including Police Sub-Inspectors (PSIs), Assistant Sub-Inspectors (ASIs), and Head Constables (HCs)—participated in a three-hour workshops. 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.

PETA India Legal Advisor and Director of Cruelty Response, Meet Ashar conducting a workshop on combating cruelty to animals with the Chikkamagaluru Police Training School

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; and Jammu, Kathua and Samba district police.

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.

Always Report Cruelty to Animals