PETA India Partners With Kerala Police Academy to Strengthen Animal Cruelty Enforcement

Animal rights organisation PETA India has partnered with the Kerala Police Academy (KEPA) to sensitise police personnel on laws and procedures to prevent and address cruelty to animals, as animal-related offences increasingly come under the focus of India's criminal justice system.

Nearly 100 police personnel, including more than 70 cadet sub-inspectors undergoing one-year training at KEPA, participated in the four-hour workshop held at the academy on Wednesday. Serving assistant sub-inspectors, sub-inspectors, inspectors and a deputy superintendent of police posted at KEPA also attended the programme.

The workshop covered provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960, the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, including its 2022 amendments, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and other relevant laws. The initiative was held under the leadership of ADGP H Venkatesh and IGP K Sethu Raman, who is also the Director of KEPA.

“Police play a crucial role in ensuring that cruelty to animals is addressed and prevented,” said Meet Ashar, PETA India's Legal Advisor and Director of Cruelty Response.

The training assumes significance following the National Crime Records Bureau's first-ever separate tracking of animal-cruelty cases in its 2024 data. The NCRB recorded 9,039 cases and 10,312 arrests nationwide. Police disposed of 6,969 cases, while 2,070 remained under investigation. As 2024 was the first year for separate tracking, the figures provide a baseline rather than evidence of an increase in such offences.

The PCA Act, India's principal law addressing unnecessary pain and suffering to animals, covers acts including beating, kicking, torturing, overloading and improper transportation. Meanwhile, Section 325 of the BNS provides for imprisonment of up to five years, a fine, or both for killing, poisoning, maiming or rendering an animal useless.

Recent cases illustrate the relevance of these provisions. In Telangana's Ranga Reddy, police registered an FIR under Section 325 of the BNS and Section 11(1)(a) of the PCA Act after allegations that bulls were repeatedly beaten to pull a 16-tonne concrete structure during a race.

PETA India said it has conducted similar law-enforcement sensitisation programmes across India. It also cited a 2021 Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations report, which estimated that nearly five lakh animals were victims of crimes over the preceding decade.

The KEPA initiative therefore seeks to move beyond awareness by familiarising serving and trainee officers with the laws and procedures needed to identify, register and investigate animal-cruelty offences. With dedicated NCRB data now available and the BNS adding stronger criminal provisions for serious animal harm, police training could play an increasingly important role in ensuring that such cases receive appropriate legal action.