Following PETA India and PFA Action, Gwalior Man Arrested for Chopping Off Dog’s Leg

After learning that a man allegedly killed a community dog by repeatedly beating the animal with a rod and then slowly chopping off a leg with a knife, Meet Ashar of PETA India worked with Priyanshu Jain of People For Animals (PFA) Indore, local activist Chhaya Tomar, and the Gwalior police to register a First Information Report under Section 429 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 11(1)(a) of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960. The cruel incident was caught on a video that went viral, which can be seen here.

“We have never come across such a heinous act of cruelty in Madhya Pradesh. The accused needs mental evaluation and counselling. Cases like these signify the need for stronger laws against animal abuse,” says PFA Indore President Priyanshu Jain.

We also recommend that the man undergo psychiatric evaluation and receive counselling, 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. For example, Ameerul Islam raped and killed dogs and goats before being sentenced to death for raping and murdering Kerala law student Jisha. In a study of domestic violence victims, 60% of women said that their abusive partners had harmed or killed their dogs or other animals.

We’ve long campaigned to strengthen the PCA Act, 1960, which contains outdated, inadequate penalties, such as a maximum fine of only Rs 50 for convicted first-time offenders, although the IPC does contain stronger punishments. In a proposal sent to the central government regarding an amendment to the PCA Act, we recommended significantly increasing penalties for cruelty to animals.