Following PETA India Complaint, Ghaziabad Police Register FIR Against Man for Beating Cat to Death

After learning that a man had allegedly killed a community cat in the village of Shahjahanpur, in the town of Modinagar in the Ghaziabad district, by beating them to death with bamboo, PETA India filed a formal complaint with the Modinagar police station. Based on this, a first information report has now been registered against the accused under Section 429 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860, and sections 3, 11(1)(a), 11(1)(l), and 38 of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960. The cruel incident was reported to PETA India by a concerned resident who saw a of the killing on YouTube. PETA India’s Cruelty Response Team spent days tracing the accused and worked with Ghaziabad police to identify him.

PETA India also recommends that perpetrators of animal abuse undergo psychiatric evaluation and receive counselling, as abusing animals indicates 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, convicted of raping and murdering a Kerala law student, had a history of raping and killing dogs and goats. A study published in the Journal of Emotional Abuse found that 71% of abused women who sought shelter at a safe home and had companion animals confirmed that their partner had threatened, injured, or killed the animals.

PETA India has long campaigned to strengthen the PCA Act, 1960, which contains outdated, inadequate penalties, such as a maximum fine of only Rs 50 for convicted first-time offenders, although the IPC prescribes more severe consequences. In a proposal sent to the central government regarding an amendment to the PCA Act, 1960, PETA India has recommended significantly increasing cruelty-to-animals penalties.