THE UNFORTUNATE REALITY: ANIMAL CRUELTY

“The question is not ‘Can they reason?’ nor ‘Can they talk?’ but ‘Can they suffer?’”- Jeremy Bentham.

In today’s world where one finds an animal lover at every corner, we tend to forget the injustice that is done to these precious creatures. We tend to forget that they too suffer and although they do not have the gift of speaking, they do have the right to live.

Every day, several cases come out bringing to our attention, the poor state of our fellow living beings. While reading these cases, it may seem as if humanity and sanity are concepts that no longer exist in the minds of people. Instances of animal cruelty and animal rapes have not gone unnoticed in India, one of which includes a 68-year-old man raping a dog in the Juhu Galli area of Mumbai. The man has been arrested by the Police under section 428 and section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The Police suspects that he raped over 30 dogs in the area. About a week ago, a 20-year-old man was caught raping a female dog on the CCTV footage, who has now gone missing. He is suspected to have returned to his hometown in Uttar Pradesh. There exist many more of such horrific and gruesome incidents that make our heads bow down with shame.

The Indian Government has implemented legal measures that ensure justice to animals, such as Section 428 and Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Cruelty to Animals Act of 1960, which ensure that harming or causing injury to them has some repercussions. The punishment for these heinous acts is a fine of at least Rs. 2000 and/or a jail term of up to five years.

Apart from the government, the public too has been active in fighting for the rights of animals. An online petition has been started by People for Animals (PFI) and Humane Society International (HSI), demanding the government to amend the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1970 and increase the penalty which is currently Rs.50. This petition has earned major support of the citizens, with over 7.5 lakh signatures. Citizens have also used their social media platforms in the above-mentioned unfortunate incident of the 68-year-old man raping the dog ‘Sheru’. The hashtag ‘#SorrySheru’ was trending and expressed the nationwide uproar.

To counter this malpractice of many people getting away with the crime by paying a fine of Rs. 50, the government has prepared a draft to amend the 60-year-old Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act- proposing a penalty of Rs. 75,000 or three times the cost of the animal with jail term up to five years or both if an act or an organization leads to an animal’s death.

It is imperative that we understand that animals too have rights that they are born with. Many ghastly incidents of animal rapes and other forms of cruelty take place that do not even get reported. With no data or records, this issue of treating animals with respect will never be taken seriously. We, as responsible citizens, and as fellow beings, should take action and raise our voices for the good. It is high time for animals to stop getting suppressed just because they cannot speak up.