New Delhi: In a bizarre crime news, a man in Uttar Pradesh’s Badaun district was booked for killing a rat by tying it to a brick and drowning it in a drain, reported the Times Of India. The accused Manoj Kumar, in a want for relevant section of law, was booked under Section 429 (mischief by killing or maiming cattle, etc) of the Indian Penal Code along with Section 11 (1) (1) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act at Sadar Kotwali police station.
The killing of the rat took place on Thursday evening and the case was lodged on the basis of a complaint made by animal rights activist Vikendra Sharma, the report added.
Sharma told the newspaper that after he saw Manoj throwing the rodent into a drain, he jumped into it to rescue the mouse, but it had died by then.
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“I know that permission is not needed to kill rats, but I was shocked to see how Manoj killed the rodent. When I requested him not to do it in future, he displayed extreme cruelty and displayed his act to his children as well. Hence, I lodged a complaint. I did a proper follow-up of the case and even took the carcass to IVRI for autopsy,” he added.
The rodent’s autopsy was indeed carried out at the premier Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Bareilly upon a request by the Badaun Police. An amount of Rupees 250 was charged for the autopsy.
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“We were not sure if we could register an FIR for killing a rat. However, after consulting with seniors, we found out that we can register an FIR under section 429 of the IPC, which is used when an animal, like cattle, is killed deliberately,” SHO Harpal Singh told the newspaper.
“We have also added section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. Now, we will send a notice to accused Manoj Kumar to turn up at the police station to record his statement,” the SHO added.