ANAKAPALLI(ANDHRA PRADESH), JULY 12 :  The district police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) for the barbaric killing of a hen by biting off the bird’s head during a dance performance in the district.
After learning about a video showing a person deliberately killing a hen by biting off the bird’s head using his teeth during a dance performance in full public view, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India worked with senior police officials in Anakapalli district to get FIR registered.
The FIR has been registered under sections 429 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, (IPC) and Section 11(1) of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960, against the performer and the organizers.
This disturbing incident, witnessed by children in the audience, was filmed and posted on social media under the guise of entertainment.
“Those who abuse animals are often shown to have no regard for human life, either. For the sake of everyone’s safety, it is imperative that members of the public report cases of cruelty to animals such as this,” said PETA India Cruelty Response Coordinator Sinchana Subramanyan in a release here on Thursday.
“We commend Anakapalli Superintendent of Police K V Murali Krishna for directing the registration of the FIR and sending the message that cruelty to animals will not be tolerated,” said Subramanyan.
PETA India recommends that perpetrators of animal abuse undergo psychiatric evaluation and receive counseling, as abusing animals indicates a deep psychological disturbance. Research shows that people who commit acts of cruelty to animals are often repeat offenders who move on to hurting other animals, including humans.
A study published in Forensic Research & Criminology International Journal states, “Those who engage in animal cruelty 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that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way” – has long campaigned to strengthen the PCA Act, 1960, which contains outdated, inadequate penalties, such as a maximum fine of only Rs 50 for convicted first-time offenders (although the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, which has now replaced the IPC, 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.(UNI)