Hyderabad: The Future City police have registered an FIR against the organiser of a bull race event held at Mallanna Temple in Ranga Reddy district. The case involves allegations of severe cruelty to animals, with bulls reportedly beaten repeatedly to force them to pull a pillar weighing around 16 tonnes and complete the race.
Complaint and Legal Action
Based on a complaint from an animal activist, police registered a case under Section 325 of the BNS, which pertains to mischief by killing, poisoning, maiming or rendering any animal useless, and Section 11(1)(a) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960, relating to beating, kicking, overriding, overloading, torturing, or causing unnecessary pain or suffering to animals.
Adulapuram Gautham, the complainant, stated: "I came across a video on social media pertaining to animal cruelty at Mallanna Temple. At an event organised at the temple, bulls were beaten continuously to make them pull slabs of concrete shaped like a pillar. This amounts to severe cruelty."
Potential Dangers Highlighted
Gautham further added that such aggressive beating could cause fractures and injuries or permanently render the bulls useless. "Furthermore, negligent conduct by the owners could also endanger human lives, as bulls may run amok when subjected to constant beating," he said while lodging the complaint against the organiser of the event.
In the video posted by an influencer on social media, people can be seen hitting the bulls, some of which collapsed on the ground, to force them to participate in the event. All participants were given prizes, with the first-prize winner receiving a bike and a cash prize. Contestants from 11 districts took part in the annual event.
Investigation Underway
S Satish Kumar, sub-inspector of Shabad police station, said: "We are analysing the video posted on social media to identify the person who uploaded it, and through him, we aim to trace the organiser. An FIR has been registered and the investigation is underway."
