New Delhi, March 27 (IANS) Refusing to give up even after twice being denied police permission to protest outside the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), NGO People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has now filed a Right to Information (RTI) application to know the reason for the denials.
Dharmesh Solanki of PETA, who filed the RTI plea, said they were twice denied permission to stage an awareness campaign on animal cruelty outside AIIMS, and despite being in constant touch with the police, they were clueless as to why permission was denied.

“Late last year there was a report in the media about extreme maltreatment of animals in the central animal facility of AIIMS. In a bid to put pressure on the administration to release those animals, which have been languishing in the facility for years, we wanted to stage an awareness campaign in front of AIIMS,” Solanki said.

However, as they did got any response from the police, he said he had then filed the RTI plea to find out the reason.

A report published Oct 5, 2008, said that 68 monkeys, 90 rabbits, several sheep, guinea pigs and rats in the central animal facility of AIIMS were very ill but were not getting any attention. One of the monkeys had been in the facility for 19 years - when the Committee for Purpose of Control and Supervision on Experiments on Animals had recommended that no animal be kept for experimentation for more than three years.

PETA has also written to the Animal Welfare Board of India to ensure immediate rehabilitation of all those animals.