NCR tops animal cruelty list

The NCR has topped the list of maximum number of cases of cruelty to animals in the last three years, latest data revealed. In Uttar Pradesh, a total of 9,806 such cases have been reported followed by the national capital with 8,424 FIRs filed with the police of atrocities on various animals. Not lagging behind, Haryana saw more than 3,000 such incidents though with a hundred per cent conviction rate.

“Most cases in two states and one Union Territory that comprise the NCR took place in 2013-14 with the numbers reaching 5,012, 6,477 and 1,315 in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Haryana respectively,” said a senior environment ministry official, adding, “The national capital surpassed UP and witnessed maximum inhumane acts against animals in any region that year.”

Much of this, the sources claimed, is because of rampant business of cow smuggling that has been flourishing in the NCR for the past several years. “Often the cops are hand-in-gloves with the smugglers who can be seen taking tens of cattle in trucks and tempos across borders despite a rule which prohibits ferrying more than three at a time,” sources added.

According to the statistics, however, the total number of cases of cruelty to animals has gone down drastically in the past two years, ever since the BJP-led NDA government has come to power at the Centre. “As compared to 2014, Delhi witnessed just 260 cases against last year’s 6,477. In Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, the incidents plummeted to 1,139 from 5,012 and 626 from 1,315 respectively,” the latest figure shows.

This can be partly attributed to the steps taken by the Central government in giving a free hand to the Border Security Force (BSF) and the local police in curbing cow smuggling, that contributes the most in the rise in such cases. Union home minister Rajnath Singh on May 21 congratulated the BSF for bringing down cow smuggling cases to 3-3.5 lakh from 25 lakh two years ago.

“Most of the cows which are smuggled out or slaughtered are bought or stolen from national capital region,” a BSF official said. Other animals that constantly suffer at the hands of humans in the NCR region are dogs, pigs, horses etc. In one of the most grotesque acts, a 24-year-old engineering student was arrested for killing several puppies outside Green Park Metro station in Delhi in April. Maximum number of complaints of pig slaughter comes from Haryana.

“The complaints of people beating up street dogs are frequent,” said a senior Delhi police officer, adding, “Sometimes this city can be really cruel to species inferior to us.”