Jaipur Police, PETA India, and Aashray Foundation Display Hundreds of Seized Spiked Bits Used to Control Horses in Weddings
Local police, PETA India, and Aashray Foundation displayed hundreds of seized spiked (or “thorn”) bits, which are used to control horses through pain, and called on everyone to celebrate weddings and other special occasions without involving animals. Police confiscated the torture devices – which are designed deliberately to incise animals’ mouths – from horse owners, as the use of these contraptions violates Rule 8 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Draught and Pack Animals Rules, 1965, and replaced them with painless smooth bits. Similar law enforcement drives have recently been conducted by PETA India in Amritsar, Chandigarh, Delhi, Maharashtra, Mohali, and Panchkula. Over 800 spiked bits were seized from these areas.
PETA India has launched a nationwide campaign aimed at helping police enforce the ban on using spiked bits on horses. After being contacted by PETA India, several states and union territories – including Assam, Bihar, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh – also issued orders mandating the enforcement of this prohibition. PETA India is campaigning not only for police to search for and confiscate the illegally used devices but also for legislation to be introduced to close a loophole that still allows their manufacture and sale.
As public awareness of the cruelty of spiked bits grows, numerous wedding parties are now opting for animal-free baraat options, from simply walking to arriving in fancy cars and even dropping in by helicopter. Celebrity couples whose weddings were animal-free include Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor, Shahid Kapoor and Mira Rajput, Neil Nitin Mukesh and Rukmini Sahay, Zaheer Khan and Sagarika Ghatge, Neha Dhupia and Angad Bedi, Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli, Sonam Kapoor and Anand Ahuja, and Varun Dhawan and Natasha Dalal.
Using horses, elephants, camels, or any other animals for weddings is an outdated practice that supports abuse of these animals.
