Police in Tura, India, have registered a first information report (FIR) against a group of men accused of abusing and killing a pig at an unlicensed flesh shop, following an intervention by PETA India. The organisation flagged a disturbing video circulating on social media and lodged a formal complaint with the authorities.
PETA India says it was alerted to an Instagram account that had posted footage of the pig being killed. In the clip, the pig is doused with boiling water and appears to be skinned while still alive and conscious. Three people take part while a fourth records, and the corpse of another pig is visible nearby.
After the complaint, West Garo Hills Superintendent of Police Abraham T Sangma ordered local police to register a suo moto FIR, given the seriousness of the case. Araimile Police Station then filed the case under Section 325 (cruelty to animals) and Section 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, together with Section 11(1)(a) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960.
Separately, Tangme Ch. Marak, the Assistant Commissioner of Food Safety for West Garo Hills, issued a notice to the shop under Sections 55 and 63 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, citing improper handling of animals and operation without a valid licence. The establishment has ten days to comply or face further legal action. PETA India has called on food safety officials to seal the shop.
Under Section 325 of the BNS, maiming or killing an animal is a cognizable offence punishable by up to five years in jail, a fine, or both. Section 3(5) extends liability to everyone involved in a group act carried out with shared intent, while Section 11 of the PCA Act criminalises inflicting unnecessary pain or suffering on an animal. PETA India also pointed to Supreme Court directions stating that animals may only be killed in licensed facilities, and to rules requiring such slaughterhouses to use stunning equipment suited to each species before killing.
