“This poor dog was just trying to protect those pigs. He was not allowing these guys to pick them up,” Meet Ashar from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India shares with The Animal Reader about the dog that was brutally murdered in India a week ago.
“They got annoyed because they couldn’t catch any of the pigs. They caught the dog, tied him, and threw him in the pond. And then they kept hurling huge stones to make sure he couldn’t come up and he died,” Ashar says. Police are trying to recover the body of the dog from the water so that an autopsy can be done.
“They’re giggling, laughing, and they’re actually singing a song while doing this, so that shows the kind of insensitivity which prevails in these young minds, and it’s quite disturbing,” Ashar says. “This kind of brutality and with no remorse, singing and enjoying and giggling while doing something so brutal, is shocking, to say the least.”
The teens shared the video in different WhatsApp groups. A young dog lover saw the video and posted it on his TikTok account, offering money to find these guys. Sadly, he was seen as the person who made the video and was harassed online.
PETA India was alarmed and with the help of the cybercrime police, they were able to locate the three guys. On Monday, one adult (19) and two teens (14, 12) were arrested by the Ujjain police. The 19-year old could face up to five years in prison. The teens will appear in front of a juvenile court.
“They were shocked that the police got involved and wondering what they did wrong, it was just a dog,” Ashar says. “Perhaps, that was their perception, and the police told them that this is wrong what you have done. And it’s illegal.”
PETA India is alarmed by how desensitized these guys were from inflicting pain on a harmless dog and hopes to teach them and their friends about compassion for animals. They’ll go to their village to offer classes to create more awareness.
Report animal cruelty
“It’s ok if you don’t like or love animals. Not everybody needs to pet them, stroke them, or feed them, but don’t harm them,” Ashar wants people to understand that. He also says firmly that people need to realize that it is illegal to harm animals and you can go to prison for it.
The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act in India prohibits any person from inflicting pain on any animal. The Act makes it a crime to beat, kick, torture, mutilate, or cruelly kill an animal. Ashar adds that since the Act dates from 1960 and that the government needs to review it to create stiffer punishments.
He’s pleased that this crime towards the dog was reported. Ashar strongly advises people to report any case of animal cruelty, so the necessary steps can be taken against offenders.
See the full interview we had with Meet Ashar from PETA India here. We talked about how they located the teens, other animal abuse cases in India, the role of social media, and animal cruelty laws.
If you live in India and want to report animal abuse, contact a local animal rights organization. PETA India can be reached on 9820122602.
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