Badaun, Apr 11 (IANS): In a first, the police in Badaun have filed a chargesheet against a 30-year-old potter, accused of allegedly killing a rat by tying it to a brick and drowning it in a drain.

The accused, Manoj Kumar, a potter who lives in a small house with his three daughters, was booked in 2022 under IPC Section 429 (mischief by killing or maiming cattle) along with Section 11 (1) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.

The police took action on a complaint lodged against him by Vikendra Sharma, an animal rights activist, in November 2022, following a viral video on social media purportedly showing a dead rat with its tail tied to a stone.

Kumar was later granted bail by a court.

The autopsy of the rat had confirmed the cause of death as "dry drowning".

According to the police, on the basis of the autopsy report, video evidence and statement of locals, the investigating officer has filed a chargesheet against Kumar and it will be submitted before the court after the circle officer's verification.