Jammu Police, Animal Husbandry, Urban Local Bodies and Transport Departments Invite PETA India to Conduct Animal Crime Fighting Workshops
On 25th November, nearly 100 police officers from Jammu, Kathua and Samba districts gathered at the District Police Lines, Jammu, and attended a workshop on combating crimes against animals conducted by PETA India in association with Save Animals Value Environment (SAVE) Society, an NGO from Jammu and Kashmir. And on 24th November, some 200 veterinary officers of the Animal Husbandry Department, Jammu, participated in a similar session, focused on their responsibilities while examining victims of cruelty to animals and in the enforcement of laws pertaining to slaughterhouses, illegal pet shops and breeders, and more. Two more workshops were conducted in Jammu on 26th and 27th November, respectively for officers of the Urban Local Bodies, Jammu Division, and for the Transport Department of Jammu, with over 100 officials in attendance.
Left to Right: Meet Ashar, Legal Advisor and Director of Cruelty Response, PETA India; Shri Irshad Rather, Superintendent of Police, Headquarters, Jammu; Shri Shiv Kumar, IPS, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP), Jammu Range; Shri Joginder Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police, Jammu
The workshop for constables, head constables, assistant sub-inspectors, sub-inspectors, police inspectors, and deputy superintendents of police 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. Shri Shiv Kumar, IPS, DIGP, Jammu Range; Shri Joginder Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police, Jammu; and Shri Irshad Rather, Superintendent of Police, Headquarters, Jammu, were also in attendance. This important initiative was made possible under the visionary leadership of Shri Bhim Sen Tuti, IPS, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Jammu Division; and Shri Shiv Kumar, IPS, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP), Jammu Range. A similar workshop was conducted for animal protection activists so that they may play a supportive role to the police, too.
Jammu authorities’ plan to crack down on cruelty to animals is highly commendable, and PETA India is pleased to support them in this effort.
Meet Ashar, Legal Advisor and Director of Cruelty Response, PETA India; Smt. Mandeep Kaur, IAS, Commissioner and Secretary for Housing and Urban Development Department.
In 2021, the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO) and All Creatures Great and Small (ACGS) 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.”
These initiatives are 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 sensitization workshops have previously been conducted for Bordert 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), North and South Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) inspectors and field officers and, Executive Magistrates, North and South Goa (September 2025); Pune City Police (April 2025), Nagpur City Police (May 2025); Belagavi and Hubli–Dharwad City Police, and Belagavi City Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services officials, along with activists and local animal rescuers/volunteers (June 2025); Sikkim State Police and Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services officials along with activists (July 2025); Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai Virar Police (July 2025), Bengaluru City Police, Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services officials and activists (August 2025), and Activists and local animal rescuers/volunteers of Mumbai and Delhi (September & November 2025).
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.
