FIR Registered After Two Dogs Shot With Air Gun in Varanasi, Following Smt Maneka Gandhi and PETA India Intervention
After learning that two dogs had been shot with an air gun, PETA India worked with senior officials of the Varanasi Police Commissionerate; Shivpur Police Station; Dr Aakansha Singh, the local caregiver of the dogs; and Smt Maneka Gandhi, former Union Cabinet Minister, to ensure that a first information report (FIR) was registered under the relevant stringent provisions of the law.
The incident occurred at around 10:20 p.m. on 18 August, when the accused Avinash Chandra Sinha allegedly shot a community dog named Tingo with an air gun. When confronted by the dog’s local caregiver, Dr Aakansha Singh, he allegedly threatened to kill all the dogs with a real gun, and the next morning, he shot another female community dog, Ghungru, allegedly with the same air gun near her neck. Both dogs have undergone lifesaving surgeries and are under the care of their caregiver.
An FIR against the accused was recently registered under Section 325 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and Section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960. Section 325 of the BNS, 2023, categorises mischief by killing, poisoning, maiming, or rendering useless 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.
PETA India commends Smt Maneka Gandhi as well as Shri Satyendra Kumar, IAS, District Collector and Magistrate, Varanasi; Shri Mohit Aggarwal, IPS, Commissioner of Police, Varanasi; Shri Gaurav Banswal, IPS, Deputy Comissioner of Police, Varuna Zone; and Shri Ajeet Kumar Verma, Inspector in charge of Shivpur Police Station, for directing the registration of 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.”
Those who abuse animals often move on to harming other animals and humans. For everyone’s safety, it’s imperative that members of the public report cruelty to animals such as this one to the police.
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