Telangana Lab Booked for Killing Animals

Hyderabad: Boothpur police have registered a first information report (FIR) against Palamur Biosciences Pvt. Ltd. following disturbing revelations of animal cruelty, including severe injuries to dogs and the poisoning of piglets. The FIR was filed on Wednesday in response to a whistleblower-led investigation by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India that exposed alleged criminal practices at the facility.

Acting on the exposé, the Committee for the Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CCSEA), a central government body, constituted an emergency committee to inspect the premises. The report of the inspection is awaited.

The FIR was registered under Section 173(1) of the BNSS, 2023, citing violations of Sections 34, 269, 289, 337 and 429 of the IPC, 1860. The charges relate to the killing and maiming of animals in the company’s custody, causing irreversible damage and violating protocols notified by the Animal Welfare Board of India on November 25, 2013. The FIR also mentions negligent conduct leading to the risk of zoonotic disease transmission to humans.

Palamur Biosciences also faces charges under wildlife protection laws for allegedly capturing rhesus macaques from Rajasthan during 2021–22, an act prohibited under relevant legal provisions. The Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO), a collective of over 200 animal welfare groups, has also submitted a complaint to the CCSEA, seeking the permanent closure of the facility and cancellation of its licences.

According to whistleblowers, the laboratory reportedly poisons beagles and other animals, confines them to overcrowded cages or isolates them socially, causing injuries, infections and, in many cases, painful deaths once they are no longer considered useful.

PETA India has filed complaints with the CCSEA, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) and the National GLP Compliance Monitoring Authority (NGCMA), calling for the facility’s immediate deregistration, prosecution under applicable rules and rehabilitation of surviving animals.