Honour Raju Srivastava’s Work for Horses by Banning Manufacture of Spiked Bits, PETA India Urges Central Government  

For Immediate Release:

22 September 2022

Contact: 

Sanskriti Bansore; [email protected]  

Sachin Bangera; [email protected]  

Lucknow – In the wake of the demise of actor and well-known comedian Raju Srivastava on Wednesday, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India has sent a letter to Honourable Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Shri Parshottam Rupala, requesting that he honour the late artist by prohibiting the sale, manufacture, trade, and possession of illegal spiked bits, which are used to control horses through pain. In a PETA India video, which was produced on the heels of an enforcement drive conducted by Lucknow police in which 70 spiked bits were seized, Raju Srivastava delivers a powerful message asking people to report the use of spiked bits to police and to have a horse-free wedding. 

PETA India’s letter to the minister and video of Srivastava’s appeal are available upon request.

“The spiked bits can cause [horses] painful injuries, and they can even bleed at times. While we are busy dancing in wedding ceremonies … the horses are suffering,” said Srivastava in the video. “Whenever you see spiked bits being used on a horse or even bulls, you can take action … and lodge a complaint with the local authorities.”  

“Raju Srivastava will always be known for making the nation smile, but he will also be remembered for his kindness to animals. We hope the government will honour Mr Srivastava’s concern for horses by prohibiting the sale, manufacture, trade, and possession of these weapons,” says PETA India Advocacy Associate Natasha Ittyerah. The use of spiked bits is banned under Rule 8 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Draught and Pack Animals Rules, 1965, but the cruel devices are still sold, and therefore, often used. In 2014, the Animal Welfare Board of India issued an advisory requesting that states and union territories impose a ban on the manufacture, trade, possession, and use of spiked bits.  

Law enforcement drives similar to the one in Lucknow have been conducted by Delhi police, Himachal Pradesh police, and Maharashtra police, following complaints by PETA India. PETA India has requested that the central government amend the above-mentioned rules to ban the manufacture, possession, trade, and sale of spiked bits, too. 

PETA India – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. 

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