Thane: ‘That monster will walk free on bail of just Rs 10!’

The owner of the pet dog who was brutally pummelled by vet staff of the Vetic Pet Clinic in Thane has revealed that the two accused who were arrested yesterday will walk out without any stringent punishmentI approached the police today to file an FIR against the two vet staff who had beaten and manhandled my pet dog Tofu But the police said they had already filed a noncognisable offence and itrsquos not a case of FIR They also explained how in the case of noncognisable offence as per the law the accused will be released with only a fine of Rs 10rdquo said Varun Seth the owner of the chowchow pet dog which was beaten in a pet clinic in ThaneVarun Seth a chartered accountant and resident of Thane got married in Lonavala on February 13 Tuesday After completing the wedding rituals in Lonavala he returned on WednesdayVarun at the Chitalsar Manpada police station PicRajesh GuptaldquoThe first thing I did was take my dog tofu from the boarding Rather than doing the Griha Pravesh rituals with my bribe I immediately went to the police station to file a complaint against themrdquo said VarunldquoI was disappointed that even after the assault on Tofu the vet staff would be released today without any punishment This has set the wrong precedent as such incidents will keep happening The police even explained to us many different cases where the accused were released paying low fines or none at allrdquo added SethBeating an animal which in this case was the primary offence is covered only under section 11 1 of the PCA 1960 which is a noncognisable offencerdquoWhen Seth insisted that the police register his case as he is the legitimate owner they cited different examples of how only one case is registered in such a matter and his is not an isolated case of animal crueltyldquoThe officer told me that in cases where the dogs got killed the accused have been granted bail ranging from R50 to R500 This is unbelievable ldquo he added Following the incident many animal activists gathered outside the Chitalsar Manpada police station requesting and trying to file an FIR in the case But were left with disappointment Shakuntala Majumdar President of Community for the Protection and Care of Animals Thane said ldquoWe tried to file an FIR but how can we The punishment for the section in which the police booked the accused is hardly Rs 10 to Rs 50 In such case how will we feel the pets are safe in the societyrdquo she addedldquoRegarding yesterdayrsquos dastardly incident which shook the entire nation I seriously want the nation to ponder on the obsolete PCA Act which is in dire need of a change Justice and amendment of law for animals will be delayed and prevented as long as animals are not a vote bank for the lawmakersrdquo said Indraneel Roy Animal Welfare Officer Appointed by Bombay HC and AWBIldquoThe existing law itself became a barrier to registering a cognisable offence for animal cruelty in this case because it was never amended since its introduction Unfortunately we couldnrsquot push the police to register a case under section 429 since it requires two very specific conditions which are either killing of the animal or maiming which renders the animal permanently disabledrdquo she addedGirish Gode senior police inspector said ldquoWe have already registered a noncognisable offence in the matter on Tuesday itself As per the offence it was an NC case Further we have sent the accused to the assistant commissioner of police for preventive action against them As the ACP has the magistrate power to further take actionrdquoFeb 13Date of the incident