Bihar man files FIR against neighbour after electric fence kills 4 street dogs

PATNA: A first information report (FIR) has been filed against a Bihar man who set up an electric fence around his agricultural farm that killed four street dogs on July 3 in Saran district’s Harpur village, people familiar with the matter said.

Sushil Kumar Singh, a former constable in the Central Reserve Police Force, who pursued the case, said his neighbour Amren Singh had always been cruel to street dogs and had threatened to harm him in the past because he cared for them.

“My neighbour used to beat the puppies with sticks and had even threatened, and tried to assault me in the past… He crossed all limits this time by passing electric current through the fence around their field, barely 10 yards away from my residence after 9pm on July 3. One after another, four dogs were electrocuted. That was when I decided to lodge an FIR,” said Singh.

But officers at the Ekma police station were reluctant to file a FIR. Singh said he finally reached out to animal rights organisation PETA India for help.

Sinchana Subramanyan, Mumbai-based cruelty response coordinator, said the police officers were apparently not aware about the relevant provision of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and agreed to file the case. The FIR was registered on July 6 under Section 325 which pertains to mischievously killing or maiming any animal. On conviction, the offence attracts a maximum jail term of up to five years or fine or both.

Singh said he will pursue the case to its logical conclusion. “Whatever it costs to hire a lawyer, I will now pursue the case to its logical end and try to get justice for the innocent dogs, who had never harmed any villager,” he said.

Uday Kumar, SHO of the Ekma police station, said they were waiting for the postmortem report. The officer acknowledged that this was the first time in his career that he had pursued a case relating to cruelty to animals. “We have, however, registered a case (259/24) and are investigating it. This is the first of its kind case I have come across in my tenure of service,” he said.