Jhabua Police Register FIR Against Three Thandla Nagar Palika Parishad Workers for Beating Two Dogs to Death, Following Complaint by PETA India and Smt Maneka Gandhi

After receiving a video of two dogs being ruthlessly beaten to death in full public view on a busy street by Thandla Nagar Palika Parishad workers, PETA India and Smt Maneka Gandhi worked with local caregivers and Jhabua police officials to register a first information report (FIR). One of the dogs was pregnant. The FIR was registered by Thandla Police Station – under sections 34 and 429 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860, and Section 11 of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960 –against three men, all of whom are workers of the Thandla Nagar Palika Parishad.

Close up of Indian street dog or stray pariah dog with blue wall background in the urban city of Jodhpur, India, 2022

The Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, make the sterilisation of community dogs a responsibility of local civic authorities. Rule 11(19) of the Rules permits the capturing of community dogs only for the purpose of sterilisation and makes it illegal to relocate community animals. It states, “The dogs shall be released [after sterilisation] at the same place or locality from where they were captured.”

PETA India 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. A study published in Forensic Research & Criminology International Journal stated, “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.”

Community dogs are often subjected to human cruelty or struck by cars and commonly suffer from starvation, disease, or injury. Many dogs and cats also end up in animal shelters, where they languish in cages or kennels for lack of enough good homes. The solution is simple: sterilisation. Sterilising one female dog can prevent 67,000 births over six years, and sterilising one female cat can prevent 4,20,000 births over seven years.