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Sushil Kumar Singh has vowed to pursue the FIR to its logical conclusion to ensure justice for the four dogs killed by the electric fence.
Incident in Harpur Village
In Harpur village of Bihar’s Saran district, an electric fence around an agricultural farm led to the tragic death of four street dogs on July 3. An FIR was filed against a local man, drawing attention from various quarters.
Details from the Police
Uday Kumar, the Station House Officer (SHO) of Ekma police station, stated they were awaiting the postmortem report. The officer mentioned that this was a unique case in his career, being the first instance of handling animal cruelty of this nature.
Pursuit of Justice
Sushil Kumar Singh, a former Central Reserve Police Force constable, pursued the case against his neighbor, Amren Singh. Singh noted that his neighbor had a history of cruelty towards street dogs and had even threatened him in the past for caring for the animals. Singh said, “My neighbor used to beat the puppies with sticks and had even threatened and tried to assault me in the past. This time he crossed all limits by passing electric current through the fence around his field, barely 10 yards away from my residence after 9 pm on July 3. One after another, four dogs were electrocuted. That was when I decided to lodge an FIR.”
Initial Reluctance and Support from PETA
Singh initially faced reluctance from officers at the Ekma police station to file the FIR. However, after seeking assistance from animal rights organization PETA India, the FIR was eventually registered. Sinchana Subramanyan, PETA’s Mumbai-based cruelty response coordinator, indicated that the police were initially unaware of the relevant provisions under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. The case was filed under Section 325, which pertains to mischievously killing or maiming any animal and carries a maximum jail term of up to five years, a fine, or both.
Commitment to Legal Action
Singh remains steadfast in his commitment to seek justice for the dogs. “Whatever it costs to hire a lawyer, I will now pursue the case to its logical end and try to get justice for the innocent dogs, who had never harmed any villager,” he said.