DIVYA MABEN

Chandigarh DGP Called On to Take Action Following Sexual Abuse of Dog to Safeguard Punjab Engineering College Students To safeguard animals and students, PETA India fired off a letter to Director General of Police (DGP) of Chandigarh Shri Surendra Singh Yadav, IPS, calling on him to take immediate stringent action against a former cook at Punjab Engineering College (PEC) who was caught on video sexually abusing a community dog. The shocking footage shows the accused inserting his fingers into the dog’s vagina – a violation that can inflict severe pain and potential injury to the animal – as well as moving his face between the dog’s hind legs and attempting to control the animal with the apparent intention of continuing the assault. The video quickly went viral, prompting PETA India to call on Chandigarh police to register a first information report (FIR). Despite the gravity of the offence, an FIR has not yet been registered, sparking outrage among concerned students and local activists. The sexual assault is said to have taken place in early July, and a formal complaint was filed with the Sector 12 Police Station on 12 July. The college administration has terminated the cook’s employment. However, the fact that the man remains at large has raised serious safety concerns among students and residents on and near the college campus. In 2021, the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations released a report revealing that in the decade prior, nearly 500,000 animals – including cows and dogs – were victims of crimes and many had been subjected to sexual violence. Previously, a Voice of Stray Dogs report calculated that the sexual abuse of animals was often underreported but likely committed at a similar rate to human rape cases. Ameerul Islam, who was convicted of raping and murdering Kerala law student Jisha, had a history of raping and killing dogs and goats. And recently, a man in Bulandshahr was arrested for raping a goat and a 10-year-old girl.