Jyotiraditya Scindia's SOS To Shivraj Chouhan On Animal Cruelty, His Reply

In a barbaric incident, a man in Madhya Pradesh's Guna brutally thrashed and reportedly killed a puppy yesterday. The man showed no mercy to the animal who just approached to sniff him while he was sitting in front of a shop.

The extremely graphic visuals were captured on CCTV in front of a shop in Guna, where the man, sitting in front of the shop, lifts the puppy and thrashes it to the ground. The cruel act did not end. The man gets up and crushes the puppy with his foot and reportedly kills it. Three puppies on the street were unaccompanied by their mother.

Union Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia reacted to the incident on X and called it "horrifying and disturbing", adding, "There is no doubt that man should be penalised for this barbarism".

Mr Scindia requested Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to take action in the incident.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan reacted to the heart-rending incident and said, "Deeply disturbed by the horrifying incident. Swift and strict action will be taken to ensure justice is served".

"We unequivocally condemn such acts of barbarism, and the individual responsible will face the consequences," Mr Chouhan added.

"Taking action in the case, the accused has been taken into custody," Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on X (formerly Twitter).

"All such acts of barbarity are unpardonable the harshest action will be taken against the accused for this crime," he said.

Animal cruelty is a criminal offence under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. The punishments are simple or rigorous including prison term and fine or both.

Activists have demanded more reforms in the six-decade-old law, seeking more prison terms for committing gruesome cruelty and killing an animal. In the existing law, there's a provision of a maximum of two years of jail term.

The Centre, last year, prepared a draft seeking public opinion on proposed amendments in the law to bring stringent penalties and jail terms for offenders. The bill was expected to be tabled in the Lok Sabha during the Monsoon Session this year.