The workshop was organised as part of an initiative spearheaded under the leadership of Shri M. Rakesh Kalasagar, IPS, Commissioner of Police, Railways, Mumbai, and with the support of Smt. Pradnya Jedge, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Central Zone, recognising the importance of equipping GRP personnel with knowledge of animal protection laws and their role in preventing and responding to crimes against animals, especially animals who are trafficked and illegally transported via railways.
The workshop focused on practical aspects of preventing and responding to cruelty to animals and covered key provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and the rules framed thereunder; the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972; the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023; and other relevant legal provisions. The session especially addressed the critical role of the police in detecting the illegal and cruel transport of animals through the railway network, rescuing and seizing animals in distress, preserving evidence, registering FIRs, conducting investigations, coordinating with veterinary and other government authorities, and taking appropriate legal action in cases of cruelty to animals and wildlife offences.
Recently, for the first time, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) tracked cases of cruelty against animals in the country and compiled data, noting the registration of 9,039 cases and the arrest of 10,312 persons in 2024.
In 2021, the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations released a report revealing that in the decade prior, nearly 500,000 animals were victims of crimes.
PETA India notes that many violent criminals have a documented history of cruelty to animals. A study published in Forensic Research and Criminology International Journal warns, “Those who engage in cruelty to animals were [three] times more likely to commit other crimes, including murder, rape, robbery, assault, harassment, threats, and drug/substance abuse.”
This initiative is part of PETA India’s ongoing efforts to sensitise law enforcement personnel and empower animal rights activists across India to ensure that crimes against animals are addressed with the seriousness they deserve. Similar sensitisation workshops have previously been conducted with the Border Security Force in Gwalior; the Chhattisgarh State Police; the Goa State Police and Goa Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services officials; the Sikkim State Police; Pune City Police; Nagpur City Police; Mira-Bhayandar and Vasai-Virar Police; Belagavi district police; Hubli-Dharwad district police; Bengaluru City Police; Jammu, Kathua and Samba district police; Bengaluru and Chikkamagaluru Police Training Schools; Central District Delhi Police; Kerala Police Academy (KEPA), Thrissur; Bengaluru Rural Police; Tumakuru Police; and Andhra Pradesh State Forest Academy, Rajahmahendravaram.
PETA India – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way” – 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 BNS, 2023, and WPA, 1972, prescribe stronger punishments). In a proposal sent to the central government regarding an amendment to the PCA Act, PETA India has recommended significantly increasing penalties for cruelty to animals.
For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
