Mumbai: Cases of animal cruelty have seen a rise in the city, with many incidents going unreported. Between 300 and 350 such offences are registered every year across Mumbai. Recent incidents turn the spotlight on the growing callousness towards animals.
Recent Incidents Of Animal Cruelty
A few days ago, two cases were reported from Kandivali’s Lokhandwala; a car driver, Kunal Rupani, was arrested for crushing a puppy, while an auto driver was booked for fatally attacking a pet dog. Another shocker was the illegal horse race competition organised on the Western Express Highway in Vile Parle. With the video going viral, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) lodged a complaint, highlighting how the horses were brutally whipped to draw the carts. The list of such grim tales is endless.
The Bangur Nagar police arrested a person for beating street dogs to death. Similarly, Bandra cops booked unknown persons on the complaint of veterinarian Jyotsna Jagrani for the killing of three cats and fatal attacks on two others. In one case, a Rs 4,500 contract (supari) was given to kill a dog.
MHB Police Station Inspector Sudheer Kudalkar On Incidents Of Animal Cruelty
MHB police station inspector Sudheer Kudalkar, a founder of Pure Animal Lover Foundation, said, “Awareness regarding animal welfare laws is important. There are laws regarding animal cruelty, but these are bailable offences.”
If they were non-bailable, people would not trouble animals, Kudalkar added.
The officer said that as per the law, the area in which an animal is born is that creature’s habitat. However, people do not understand this. They think animals create nuisance so they don’t care for them.
The foundation has 25 advocates whose first profession is law, but they work pro bono for animal welfare.
Meet Ashar, cruelty case division legal advisor and manager at PETA India, said, “Between April 1 and June 30, 67 animal cruelty cases were reported from Mumbai alone, while the pan-India figure stood at 703.”
While this figure does not reflect the true extent of cruelty to animals in the city, any data either from government or non-government sources will be incomplete as there is no comprehensive database, said Ashar.
