The alleged perpetrator is thought to be a repeat offender who may have previously sexually abused other animals
This picture has been used for representational purpose
Following a complaint filed with the local police by animal activist Vijay Rangare with the help of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, a First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against a man for allegedly raping a female stray dog in Kharghar.
PETA India worked with the Commissioner of Police, Navi Mumbai and Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone II, Panvel and the Kharghar police station's Senior Police Inspector to help register the FIR under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, which states the rape of an animal by a human as a crime that carries a jail term of up to 10 years. The accused was arrested last evening by the police.
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The alleged perpetrator is thought to be a repeat offender who may have previously sexually abused other animals. PETA India warns that if the man is released, he could go on to attack a human in the same way.
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"Violent people often start by abusing animals and then move on to targeting human victims. Therefore, this case should worry everyone," says PETA India Lead Emergency Response Coordinator Meet Ashar. "PETA India calls for anyone found harming animals to be punished to the fullest extent of the law and requests that the government strengthen penalties for abusing animals – for the entire community's safety."
Acts of cruelty to animals such as this one indicate a deep mental disturbance. Research in psychology and criminology shows that people who commit acts of cruelty to animals often don't stop there – many move on to hurting humans. In a study of domestic violence victims, 60 per cent of women said that their abusive partners had harmed or killed their dogs or other animals.
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PETA India, in its letter to the central government, had urged to amend the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960, to include bestiality as a cognisable offence and to introduce stronger penalties for cruelty to animals. The letter notes several recent cases of sexual abuse of animals by humans for which the accused were charged under Section 377 of the IPC signify the need for harsher penalties under The PCA Act, 1960, including the following: a man in West Bengal was arrested for dragging a stray dog into his house and raping the animal, a security guard was caught regularly raping a resident female stray dog in a washroom, police found video footage of an accused murderer in Kerala committing sexual assault on a goat, and a carpenter in Kerala was arrested by the police for sexually abusing a dog. And in Madhya Pradesh – separate incidents – two men, aged 25 and 50, were arrested and charged for raping a cow, and an 18-year-old boy from Delhi was charged for committing bestiality with a calf.
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