BSPCA gets 150 complaints per month, half of them turn out to be false, activists too filing "cruelty" plaint against each other.
A resident of Backbay, Colaba, recently rung up the Bombay Society for Prevention of Cruelty on Animals (BSPCA) office to register a complaint against his next door neighbour. "He is cruel to his dog, doesn't provide him proper food and even beats him up," says the man, also providing the complete address of the 'cruel neighbour' to the BSPCA officials seeking stern and quick action against the man.
The BSPCA officials rushed to the society to rescue the animal. However, they found that the dog was hail and hearty. Further inquiry within the society revealed that the plaint was filed only to irk the neighbour, to settle personal score. A warning was issued to the complainant and the case was closed.
These are not isolated cases. A large number of Mumbaikars are now filing complainants against their society members, and most of them turn out to be false, say activists which flummox them and waste their time and energy.
The BSPCA receives close to 150-160 plaints every month, 1800-2000 annually. "Half of them turn out to be false," Lt Col (Dr) JC Khanna, secretary of BSPCA told dna.
The BSPCA is a charitable organization working since 1874. It runs an animal hospital at Parel. People are increasingly using false animal cruelty cases to settle personal scores against society members, say BPCA officials.
"The number of such cases have also gone up five-fold compared to what we used to get five years back," says Dr Khanna.
Petty issues like alteration in flats, grabbing up space in common areas, upkeep of the society, jealousy or simply a dislike for pets are among the conflicts leading to such hostile situations in the housing societies, say animal activists. Legal and financial tussles within the society management are also fuelling such fake cases. Cases against society secretaries and other office bearers suggest so.
The conflicts are not limited to the flat owners only. False cases of cruelty on pets are registered against the watchmen of housing societies also, says Dr Khanna highlighting this alarming trend in the commercial capital of India.
Lenient law is being cited as the main reason for residents misusing it. In case of false complaints, only verbal warnings are issued to the complainants.
Even in genuine cases, police or NGOs can hardly do anything. Cruelty on animals is a bailable offence and most people are released after furnishing Rs 500 or Rs 1000 bond. Due to this skewed amount, most people prefer to let the bond money forfeit instead of reporting to court every day, activists say.
In cases of ill-treatment, the SPCA imposes a fine of Rs 50-100 on owners. They have to cough up the treatment cost of the pet as well.
Even if the societies don't ban pets (they have no rights to do so), the pets are usually not welcome. Deepak Singh, an Andheri resident who owns two dogs, says, "Some people dislike animals so much that they end up hating pet owners also."
As per the Animal Welfare Board of India rules, housing societies have no right to formulate laws regarding pets; they cannot even ask pet owners to keep their animals on a leash or impose special charges on them.
Still many residential complexes and cooperative societies have banned pets on their premises. Animal excreta, fear of transmitting diseases and safety of kids are prime reasons why most residents don't want pets inside the societies.
Animal activists and NGOs are also filing cases against each other alleging "mistreatment of rescued animals". "Tough competition" within the fraternity to gain funds and media limelight is believed to be the reason behind this trend.
Dr Nandini Kulkarni, animal activist and medical practitioner says, "Several activists have filed police cases against NGOs for ill-treatment of rescued animals. Most of us try our best to help out rescued animals. However, due to lack of support system or information in case of rare animals, it hamper our efforts in few cases. Some activists are seeking to exploit this situation for their own benefit."
Dr Kulkarni advises that such in-fights are not good for animals in the long run.
Global rally for stricter animal rights law on 18 September
Animal activists have planned a massive 'India Unites for Animals' demonstration on September 18. Over 1 lakh people have registered to participate in simultaneous rallies to be held in 45 cities in India and 30 international spots to press for stronger animal protection laws.
"Animal laws are so weak that abusers can easily get bail paying a paltry penalty for burning puppies alive or beating a horse to death," says Dr Kulkarni, one of the organizers.
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