FIR Registered for Illegal Bullfighting Event in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Following PETA India’s Intervention
Acting on a promotional poster circulating on social media about an illegal bullfighting event, PETA India promptly alerted the Harsul Police, who stopped the event midway. PETA India’s efforts also ensured that a first information report (FIR) was registered against those responsible for organising the unlawful activity.
On 01 January, PETA India received information about an illegal bullfighting event titled “Bhavya Pashu Pradarshan,” which was scheduled for the same day at Amber Hill, Jatwada Road, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar – 431 101. PETA India escalated the matter to the Commissioner of Police (CP), Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, urging immediate intervention. As a result, the local police were instructed to take action, and the illegal event was halted while it was underway.
To ensure accountability, PETA India submitted a detailed complaint requesting stringent legal action against those responsible for organising the event and worked closely with the CP, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, to ensure the registration of a Suo Moto FIR. Consequently, the FIR was registered under Sections 3(5), 125, and 291 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and Section 11(1)(m) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, against Mr Jayhind Chavan and other unidentified individuals.
The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, prohibits inciting animals to fight with each other. In a landmark judgment in 2014, the Supreme Court of India ruled in favour of the petitioners, PETA India, and the government advisory body, the Animal Welfare Board of India, establishing that bullfighting, dogfighting, and any other staged fights between animals, including between humans and other animals, for entertainment, must end.
Bullfighting involves pitting two bulls against each other in a violent and often bloody confrontation. The animals are hit and goaded into fighting until one is deemed the winner. The goal is to incite violence between the animals for entertainment and often gambling. These events subject the animals to significant physical and psychological harm, including fractures, puncture wounds, and severe stress.
