Bengaluru: Over two days, nearly 300 police officers from Bengaluru City Police Commissionerate gathered in the Commissioner’s office to attend a workshop conducted by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals India (PETA India) on combating cruelty to animals. A similar workshop was conducted for Assistant Directors and Veterinary Officers of the Animal Husbandry Department, Bengaluru Urban, where their roles and responsibilities for cruelty to animals investigations, along with laws and procedures, were discussed.

The three-hour workshop’s attendees included police head constables, assistant sub-inspectors, sub-inspectors, and police inspectors from east, west, north, south, central, northeast, southeast and central sones of the Bengaluru City Police. The session covered key provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960; the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 (as amended in 2022); the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023; and other animal protection laws. A follow-up training session for local volunteers will be held on Saturday to further empower them with knowledge of legal procedures and tips on handling cases.

“The role of police and animal husbandry officials is vital in keeping animals safe. We commend Bengaluru City Police and the Animal Husbandry Department, Bengaluru Urban, for their goal of cracking down on cruelty to animals. PETA India is pleased to support them in this effort,” says Meet Ashar, PETA India’s Legal Advisor and Director of Cruelty Response. “Bengaluru taking a sero-tolerance stand on cruelty to animals will protect animals and society at large.”

In 2021, the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations released a report revealing that nearly 500,000 animals had been victims of crimes in the decade prior. 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 important initiative was made possible under the visionary leadership of Sowmya

Reddy, General Secretary of All India Mahila Congress (AIMC) and Former Member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly; Seemanth Kumar Singh, IPS, Commissioner of the Bengaluru City Police; B Dayanand, IPS, former Commissioner of the Bengaluru City Police who is now posted as the Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Prisons; Raja Imam Kasim P, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime-II), Bengaluru City Police and Dr. P Srinivasu, Director, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services.

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 for Border Security Force officials all over India between October 2024- July this year.