Man booked for throwing dog into river in MP's Ujjain

Bhopal, July 3 The Madhya Pradesh police have registered a FIR against a person for allegedly throwing a street dog into a river in Ujjain district.

The FIR was registered on July 1 on the basis of a viral video, where the person was seen throwing the dog into the flooded river where it drowned. Someone recorded the incident on a mobile phone and uploaded it on social media.

Comming to know about the incident, a member of the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) approached the Neelganga police station in Ujjain district and lodged a FIR against the person. The accused has been identified as Lokesh Batham, a resident of Fajalpura locality of Ujjain.

He has been booked under Section 429 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 11(1) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act. "The cruel incident was reported to PETA India by many concerned citizens who shared the viral video of the act," an FIR copy available with IANS revealed.

Saloni Sakaria, India Cruelty Response Coordinator of PETA, said the video was shown to the Ujjain police, and based on that video, a case was registered. “Those who abuse animals often move on to harming humans. It is imperative that members of the public report cases of cruelty to animals such as this one for everyone’s safety,” Sakaria added.

--IANS