5 Chattisgarh policemen booked for killing endangered civet cat

Rajnandgaon: A group of policemen killed a civet cat– a protected species under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972– by viciously beating it with sticks and shooting the animal with a rifle at the Police Training School in Rajnandgaon.

They then went on to pose for photos with the body.

Having received word of the cruel case of animal abuse, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India and People For Animals Raipur worked with the Chief Conservator of Forests, Durg Circle of the Chattisgarh Forest Department to file a Preliminary Offence Report (POR) against the perpetrators.

The POR has been filed under Sections 9 and 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and the offence is non-bailable and punishable by up to 7 years in prison and a fine of at least Rs.10,000.

Speaking about the incident, PETA India Emergency Response Coordinator, Meet Ashar said, "Police officers have a responsibility to ethically enforce the law, not break it by savagely beating a terrified animal to death and bragging about it.”

"No one is above the law, and PETA India is calling for these men to be punished just as anybody else would be for committing such a horrific act of cruelty against an animal,” he added.

PETA India will also be urging the Director General of Police, Chattisgarh, to take disciplinary action against these officers if they're found guilty of committing this crime and the group encourages members of the public to demand firm action from the law enforcement agencies such as police and forest department, if they witness any abuse of animals.