Police in Bangladesh make first-ever arrests for cruelty towards animal

In a first in Bangladesh, police have made arrests on charges of cruelty towards animal in Dhaka.

Rampura police’s Sub-Inspector ‘Jashim’, investigating the case, said they arrested ‘Shobhon’ and ‘Imran’ from the area on Tuesday.

The third accused, ‘Jony’, was nabbed from the locality later at night.

Animal welfare group Obhoyaronno filed a case over the incident last month.

“These are the first arrests for animal abuse in Bangladesh," said Nadia Choudhury, head of its legal affairs.

Obhoyaronno founder Rubaiya Ahmad told bdnews24.com they had learnt about the incident from a Facebook post last month.

She said several youths had beaten a dog to a pulp in Rampura. “It barely survived the ordeal,” she said. 

The group in a Facebook post claimed police initially refused to lodge their complaint.   

“We filed a case under the Cruelty to Animals Act. But cases under this Act are never registered. 

“Police finally registered our complaint after we pressed them,” she claimed.

If convicted, the youths may face a maximum three-month jail term.

Ahmad said people should change their attitude towards animals.

The punishment for the perpetrators, she said, would serve as a warning for others.

“Once these youths are punished, others will understand they cannot do as they please to animals,” she added.