[1]It was a congregation of sorts when animal lovers gathered at the Ramlila Maidan on a sunny Saturday afternoon. The volunteers who came dressed in white clothes, wearing animal masks protested against the delay in passing of the new Animal Welfare Act 2011 and urged the Ministry of Environment and Forests to take a quick look into the matter.
Himani Shetty, campaigner, PETA, says, “The old laws were made in 1960 and the penalty for cruelty towards animals is too less. Right now the offender has to pay between `10 and `50 for the first offence, which may go up to `100 for a subsequent offence or up to three months of imprisonment. We are demanding stringent laws for the same.”
She adds, “The proposed act, if passed, is sure to raise the penalty for cruelty to animals to at least `10,000 and `25,000 or imprisonment up to two years, or both, for the first offence. For next offence, the penalty would be between `50,000 and `1 lakh.”
Dr Manilal, another participant feels that it is important that the message reaches out to the government. He says, “The protest is to create awareness about cruelty towards animals. It’s time to change old laws and make them more stringent to prevent atrocities against animals.”
Md. Salman, a DU student, who came all the way from Allahabad to be a part of the event, informs, “I’m an online member of PETA. I came here to protest against old laws and I am glad I can do my bit to save animals from cruelty.”
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