Two men have been arrested by Thalathuoya Police over an alleged act of cruelty against a cat, after footage of the incident circulated widely on social media, Daily Mirror reported.
The suspects, aged 18 and 19, are residents of the Athulgama area of Thalathuoya, where they were detained.
Complaint by animal welfare group
The investigation was launched after members of the Animal Welfare Coalition (AWC) Sri Lanka lodged a formal complaint with Thalathuoya Police on August 8.
Under preliminary questioning, the two suspects told police the incident recorded in the video had taken place roughly a month earlier, according to Daily Mirror.
Charges under existing law
Police are preparing to present the facts before the Kandy Magistrate’s Court and produce the suspects under Section 411 of the Penal Code, Section 63(c) of the Police Ordinance and existing laws relating to animal cruelty.
Those provisions remain the operative framework because Sri Lanka’s Animal Welfare Bill — gazetted in July with penalties of up to Rs. 250,000 and two years’ imprisonment for cruelty — has not yet been passed by Parliament. The measure has drawn objections from the UNP over its potential effect on peraheras, and was not among the animal-related bills Parliament approved on August 6.
Animal welfare groups have argued for years that the current penalties are too small to deter cruelty, and have increasingly used social media footage as the basis for formal complaints. Debate over the pending bill has centred largely on domesticated elephants in religious processions, with the Central Province Governor stating this month that the Act would have no impact on the Kandy Esala Perahera.
Police have not said whether the cat survived.
Sources: Daily Mirror.
