Member of Parliament Anubhav Mohanty among other eminent public figures from various spheres of society express solidarity with around 8 lakh-strong citizens’ movement for animal welfare Event organised by Change.org India in partnership with People for Animals and Humane Society International at Auro Kitchen and Bar in the national capital.
NEW DELHI: On a sunny Sunday afternoon, scores of people came out with their pets to support the #NoMore50 campaign — a campaign asking the Government of India to amend the animal cruelty law and increase the current penalty of Rs 10-50 to an amount that can actually get people to think twice before harming animals.
The attendees included Member of Parliament Anubhav Mohanty, famous TV personality and social activist Tehseen Poonawalla and various other personalities along with the group of citizen activists who had rescued Buddy, a Labrador puppy, from an abusive home. Buddy’s case had sparked public outrage in (month and year) and put the spotlight once again on the need for a stricter law.
Speaking at the event, Sukriti Chahuhan, who started the petition on Change.org said, “Buddy, has taught us resilience, faith and the power we all have to do our bit to change things. There are so many Buddys out there and we need to work together, become stronger, demand legal changes and its implementation to protect the voiceless. We owe it to ourselves and most importantly them. People can change things and the petition for justice for buddy and nomore50 proves that. Let’s demand change.”
Tehseen, who adopted rescued pup Buddy said he and his wife Monica Vadera Poonawalla are fortunate to have been given this opportunity.
He also voiced concerns over really minimal punishment in law for those harming the animals and urged the government to think over making the punish enemy harsher and increasing the fine to start with.
BJD MP Anubhav Mohanty too spoke about the need of stricter laws to ensure no one harms the animals in society. “People should deal with animals with utmost love and affection and should not cause harm to them. There’s a need today to bring in stricter laws to ensure no animals go though any terrible experience by people.”
At the event, some citizens also voiced a demand for laws to protect those who feed, rescue and adopt dogs from the streets.
Recently, there has been a strong wave in favour of amending the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960.
BJP Member of Parliament and one of India’s foremost animal rights advocates, Maneka Gandhi who endorsed the Change.org petition said: “It is time for the penalty for animal cruelty to be increased so that such crimes are deterred. I request our central government to urgently amend the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, to provide an effective deterrent and ensure stricter penalties and punishments are imposed. I truly believe that we in government need to do our bit to ensure that animals in India are safe.”
The Change.org petition has received support and signatures from nearly 8 lakh Indians from across the country, including politicians like Anubhav Mohanty, Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, Abhishek Dutt, Vidya Chavan, Tehseen Poonawalla; and actors and artists Shraddha Kapoor, Pooja Bhatt, Sushant Singh, Tiger Shroff, Disha Patani, Manoj Bajpayee, Mohit Chauhan, celebrity photographers like Rohan Shrestha, Viral Bhayani, influencers Sanjana Batra, Niharika NM to name a few.
Nida Hasan, Country Director, Change.org India, said: “Every other day we come across videos on social media of brutal attacks on animals and people who care for them. With every such viral video, I see a wave of public outrage. This tells me that common citizens are not speaking about just one dog, or just one elephant. They are speaking up for every voiceless animal. Over 7.5 lakh Indians are supporting the demand that the penalty for animal cruelty be increased. I hope that the government will hear all these voices. This event is an attempt to bring common citizens, influencers and elected representatives together to elevate the cause of animal welfare.”
While increasing the provision for punishment under the law is important, many say it is just as crucial to spread public awareness, empower law-enforcement agencies (such as the Animal Welfare Board at the state level and the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals at district level), and include animal protection laws in legal curriculum and judicial training.
Team Auro has a special relationship with animals of all kinds, whether it's the furry cats that are their regulars around the venue or the affectionate dogs around the venue who have become unofficial Auro ambassadors. Team Auro are more than just a venue, they are a community of beings and that is exactly why this event is so close to people's hearts. The company is very happy to be hosting this event with friends at Change.org, Humane Society International India, and People for Animals to be the voice for the voiceless.
