Mumbai: In advance of World Music Day (21 June), celebrated Bollywood singers Neha Kakkar, Tony Kakkar, Jasleen Royal, Nikhita Gandhi, and Shashwat Singh have signed an appeal on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him to bring harmony into animals' lives by strengthening The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960. Under the act, which is India's main animal protection legislation, penalties for cruelty – such as a maximum fine of only Rs 50 for convicted first-time offenders – remain woefully outdated.

"The penalties for cruelty under The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 are too outdated to act as deterrents to those who abuse animals", says PETA India's Director of Celebrities and Public Relations Sachin Bangera. "These celebrated singers have joined forces with PETA India to request a strengthening of the law before anyone else gets hurt."

PETA India points to recent cases of abuse – including one in which a pregnant elephant in Kerala was fed firecracker-laced fruit and another in which a pregnant cow in Himachal Pradesh was given a flour ball with firecrackers inside – as evidence that stronger penalties are urgently needed to prevent cruelty to animals.

PETA India – whose motto reads, in part, that "animals are not ours to abuse in any way" – notes that violent acts towards animals have long been recognised as indicators of a dangerous psychopathology. In a study of domestic violence victims, 60% of women said that their abusive partners had harmed or killed their dogs or other animals.

For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com.