Justice for Bruno: Alia Bhatt, celebs join outcry against dog's murder, Kerala HC orders action

Several celebrities had posted about Bruno on social media

ITDC INDIA EPRESS/ITDC NEWS R The Kerala High Court on Friday termed as frighteningly frequent instances of cruelty to animals being reported in the media and said the state must take affirmative action to alleviate their misery.

The observation by a bench of Justices A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar and Gopinath P. came while hearing a PIL initiated by it on its own in the wake of the recent gruesome killing of a canine named Bruno which was tied up and beaten to death by some people on Adimalathura beach on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram.

The Bench directed that the case be renamed as "In Re: Bruno as a fitting tribute to the hapless dog that succumbed to acts of human cruelty."

It said that it has initiated the PIL to monitor State action in reported instances of cruelty to animals and to take stock of the measures adopted by the government to implement the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.

"Frighteningly frequent have been the instances of cruelty to animals reported in the media in the last couple of years that we believe that the State must now resort to affirmative action to alleviate their misery," the Bench said.

What happened to Bruno?

The story surrounding the torture and killing of the dog "Bruno" emerged after his owner posted about it. Christuraj had posted visuals of three men who had assaulted his dog, tying a fishing hook to its neck and beating it with sticks until it died. They reportedly said they did so as it was sleeping underneat a boat.

Being alone, Christuraj was unable to confront the men. According to The News Minute, the police said he had faced issues with his neighbours and this may have also resulted in the attack. Christuraj had to watch as his dog of eight years was murdered and thrown into the sea.

After sharing the video, the three youths reportedly came to his house nad threatened him and his family, he told the media. They have since been arrested, though they have been granted bail due to the offence being bailable. One person, a 17-year-old, was not arrested as he was a minor. A report is expected to be filed before the district juvenile justice board.

Celebs rise up against animal cruelty

Bollywood superstars like Alia Bhatt, Anushka Sharma and Disha Patani had raised their voices against the torture and killing of Bruno on social media.

In an Instagram story, Alia Bhatt wrote, "Disgusting! They cannot get away with this! Until they are punished, people with a twisted mindset are not going to change.”

Anushka Sharma also shared a post by a meme page detailing the story, with the comment "Monsters!"

Disha Patani posted saying she hoped the culprits would be caught and "severely punished".