Sikkim Police & Animal Husbandry Department Invite PETA India to Lead Workshops to Combat Cruelty to Animals.
On 15 July, police officers from Sikkim gathered at the State Police Headquarters to attend a workshop conducted by PETA India on combating cruelty to animals. This important initiative was made possible under the visionary leadership of Shri Akshay Sachdeva, IPS, Director General of Police (DGP), Sikkim; and Shri Avichal, IPS, Additional Director General of Police, Sikkim, currently posted as Officer on Special Duty, Mines and Geology Department, Government of Sikkim.
Kriti (Local Activist), Meet Ashar, Legal Advisor and Director of Cruelty Response, PETA India, Shri Thakur Thapa, IPS, Inspector General of Police (Training), Sikkim Police & Shri Ajay Kumar Rai, IPS, Senior Superintendent of Police (Communication), Sikkim Police.
Nearly 70 police officers—including constables, head constables, assistant sub-inspectors, sub-inspectors, police inspectors, and deputy superintendents of police—participated in the 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. Shri Thakur Thapa, IPS, Inspector General of Police, Headquarters, Communication & Computers, Planning & Modernisation, Training, was also in attendance.
Workshop for Sikkim Police & Animal Husbandry Department.
A similar workshop was conducted in Sikkim on 12 July for activists and local animal rescuers/volunteers. Nearly 100 participants were trained in relevant laws and legal procedures to facilitate effective collaboration with law enforcement authorities. Another workshop was held in Sikkim on 16 July for Veterinary Officers of the Animal Husbandry Department, Government of Sikkim, in which approximately 30 officers participated.
Sikkim authorities 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, we are thankful to Sikkim 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 sensitization 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); Belagavi and Hubli–Dharwad State Police, and Belagavi City Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services officials, along with activists and local animal rescuers/volunteers (June 2025).
