FIR has been lodged in Mumbai's Kashigaon Police Station against three individuals for organizing and taking part in an illegal horse-cart race that took place on October 1. This action came after a complaint from PETA India, which was alerted by a whistleblower. Following the report from Shri Madhukar Pandey, IPS, the police commissioner of Mira Bhayander Vasai Virar, PETA India collaborated with Shri Avinash Ambure, the deputy commissioner of police (crime), and the Kashigaon Police Station.
The FIR includes multiple charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, including Sections 291, 281, 125, and 3(5), as well as Sections 11(1)(a) and 11(1)(l) of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960. During the operation, six horses were seized.
“PETA India appreciates the Mira Bhayander Vasai Virar police for sending a clear message that cruelty to animals will not be tolerated.” She emphasized the cruelty involved in horse racing, where animals are often compelled to run while being struck and mistreated. Basu pointed out that horses suffer from significant physical stress, resulting in injuries and severe pain. “The mental trauma and physical suffering that these malnourished and weak horses must have endured is hard to comprehend,” said Sunayana Basu, PETA India’s Cruelty Response Coordinator, commended the Mira Bhayander Vasai Virar police for their actions, stating.
In its correspondence to the police commissioner, PETA India highlighted that according to the Performing Animals (Registration) Rules, 2001, and its amendments, no animal can be utilized for training, exhibitions, or performances without registration with the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI). The organization stressed that events like these illegal horse races violate the PCA Act, 1960, and could also breach the Transport of Animals (Amendment) Rules, 2001.
PETA India referenced a 2016 order from the Rajasthan High Court that banned tonga races in the state, based on an AWBI report indicating that cruelty to horses is inherent in situations where they are forced to run in hazardous traffic conditions, as witnessed during the illegal race on the highway.