Arun Prassana an exporter by profession and a strong animal rights activist is elated about the new Prevention of Cruelty Against Animals Act. “This is going to be a great way forward and it will bring back the glory of our country who were once we were popularly praised for the way we maintained cattle.”

Arun Prassana G runs an organisation called People for Cattle in India, which was started in 2012. The organisation has close to 30 active members and they fight for the protection and better treatment of animals. They run campaigns around the year on issues related to animal protection and their welfare. “Our ‘Magic collar’ campaign was a huge success” and it has reduced the number of animals that died in accidents”.

Through the campaign they have distributed collars that would glow in dark for stray animals, thereby saving them from accidents on highways.

He is also an Animal Welfare Officer under the Animal Welfare Board. He said that his organisation conducts sessions for Police officers where they give training to Police officers on animal cruelty.

Arun and his team were the reason behind ban of camel slaughter in our s
State. ” In 2014 we filed a PIL in Madras High court based on RTI replies we received from Govt. departments who had no clue about where these animal came from and were getting slaughtered illegally.” They won the case which stopped the slaughter of camels in State.

Now he has filed another series of RTIs regarding rights of narikuravas (gypsies) in animal hunting, about the meat shops in the State and transportation of cattle slaughter and also about animals in pet shops and their maintenance.

When quizzed about the recent Act on Prevention of Cruelty towards Animals, he said that he is so happy about such a law but at the same time disappointed. He said,” Though the Act is going to legalise the whole meat market in the country and it is going to benefit farmers in a big way, I’m disappointed in the manner in which media and political parties are twisting it for their benefits”.

He said that the communal elements are twisting facts to state that the Act is against Islam and is aimed at promoting Hindutva ideology.

” Nobody explains about the benefit of this Act to farmers. It removes middlemen and regularises shandy markets. It also removes negotiation so that the farmer could get the price he demands”.

He also felt that the Government should stop distributing livestock for free because most of them dont know how to maintain or care for them. He felt that this Act could increase livestock population which is fast dwindling now.