The police till now have failed to make any progress in the case.
Days after the Nihal Singh Wala police of Moga district registered an FIR against unidentified persons for circulating invites of a dogfight championship that was scheduled for last Friday, an animal welfare organisation, Humane Society International (HSI), Monday announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for any information about the organisers.
Jayasimha, managing director, HSI India, said animal fights are brutal. “The dogs are reared in isolation, constantly provoked to make them aggressive and forced to tear each other, often ending in fatal injuries. Not only is it illegal to incite animal fights, but also to organise them. Hence, anyone with any information that will lead us to identify the organisers of this dogfight is requested to call us at +91 8899117773,” he said.
The police till now have failed to make any progress in the case. The three mobile phone numbers, printed on the invites, are switched off. Sub-inspector Dilbagh Singh, Station House Officer of Nihal Singh Wala police station said that there has been no headway in the case yet. “We had sent the mobile phone numbers to telecom companies to get information about their owners, but we are yet to receive information. Also, we got busy in some other cases. We are yet to identify the organisers,” he said.
The FIR was registered on the complaint of state veterinary department under Section 11(1) of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act after invites went viral on social media. Dogfights are also banned as per a Supreme Court order of 2014. The Supreme Court of India, in its orders in 2014 banning cockfights and dogfights in India, had said that any staged fights between animals, including between humans and animals, must end.