Sikkim Police & Animal Husbandry Department Invite PETA India to Lead Workshops to Combat Cruelty to Animals

For Immediate Release:

15 July 2025

Contact:

Sikkim—Today, 15 July, police officers from Sikkim gathered at the State Police Headquarters to attend a workshop conducted by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals India (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.

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.

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 is scheduled to be held in Sikkim on 16 July for Veterinary Officers of the Animal Husbandry Department, Government of Sikkim, in which approximately 30 officers are expected to participate.

“Sikkim authorities aim to crack down on cruelty to animals, and PETA India is pleased to support them in this effort,” says Meet Ashar, PETA India’s Legal Advisor and Director of Cruelty Response. “On behalf of animals and society at large, we are thankful to Sikkim for taking cruelty to animals seriously.”

Photos and videos from the various workshops are available upon request.

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).

In 2021, the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations released a report revealing that in the decade prior, nearly 500,000 animals were victims of crimes.

PETA India notes that 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.”

PETA India – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way” – 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.

For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

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