FIR Registered for Sexual Abuse of a Female Dog in Bhojpur to Protect ALL Females, Following PETA India Intervention
Following a report and videos from a concerned citizen regarding the alleged sexual abuse of a female community dog in Bichhiaon village of Bhojpur, PETA India worked with the dog’s local caregiver, Mukesh Kumar and Shri Sanjeev Kumar, Station House Officer of Sandesh Police Station to ensure the prompt registration of a First Information Report (FIR). Based on the available video evidence and a complaint submitted by the local caregiver, police registered the FIR against the accused, Deepchan Ram, under Section 62 read with 325 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and Sections 11(1)(a) and 11(1)(i) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960. A veterolegal examination of the dog was subsequently conducted by the government veterinarian, and the dog is now under the care of the local caregiver.
In 2021, the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations released a report revealing that in the decade prior, nearly 500,000 animals – including cows and dogs – were victims of crimes and many had been subjected to sexual violence. Previously, a Voice of Stray Dogs report calculated that the sexual abuse of animals was often underreported but likely committed at a similar rate to human rape cases.
Many violent criminals have a documented history of cruelty to animals. A study published in the Journal of Emotional Abuse found that 71% of women with companion animals who sought shelter from abuse at a safe home reported that their partner had threatened, injured, or killed the animals. A paper 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. The major motivations for engaging in cruelty to animals include anger, fun, control, fear, dislike, revenge, imitation, and sexual pleasure.” In India, Ameerul Islam, who was convicted of raping and murdering a Kerala law student, Jisha, had a history of raping and killing dogs and goats.
PETA India has requested Union Home Minister Amit Shah to bring an amendment in the BNS to specifically penalise sexual abuse of animals. Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860, punished sexual violence against animals, but there is no provision in the BNS that affords animals the same protection. Section 377 of the IPC regarded rape of an animal as a non-bailable offence and carried a punishment of “[imprisonment for life], or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years and shall also be liable to fine”. Providing the strongest level of legal protection for animals helps safeguard everyone, as the link between cruelty to animals and violence against humans is well-known.
