Assam: Debabrata Saikia seeks withdrawal of animal experiment rules

A CORRESPONDENT

NAZIRA: Former Leader of the Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly, Debabrata Saikia, has demanded the immediate withdrawal of the Central Government’s proposed draft rules governing experiments on laboratory animals, alleging that they could permit extreme cruelty in the name of scientific research.

In a statement, Saikia said the Draft Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Control and Supervision of Experiment, Breeding and Trading of Laboratory Animals) Rules, 2026, undermined the spirit of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. He has submitted a formal objection to the Joint Secretary of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, who also chairs the Committee for Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CCSEA).

Saikia expressed concern that the proposed rules could allow stray dogs and cats to be used for research and animals and birds to be purchased from unregistered markets, potentially encouraging animal trafficking and illegal hunting.

He also alleged that the provisions could permit experiments on injured wild animals without adequate medical treatment or pain relief. Other concerns included invasive surgical procedures, deliberate bone fractures, electric shocks to prevent animals from escaping and prolonged isolation of social animals such as dogs and monkeys.

Saikia further objected to the proposed requirement of advance notice before laboratory inspections, warning that it could allow institutions to conceal evidence of animal mistreatment before inspectors arrive. He also criticised the proposed transfer of approval powers for certain experiments involving larger animals, including dogs, monkeys and horses, from the CCSEA to Institutional Animal Ethics Committees (IAECs). He argued that the committees’ institutional affiliations could create conflicts of interest and weaken independent oversight. He also raised concerns over the lack of effective appeal mechanisms for animal welfare organisations.

Clarifying that he was not opposed to scientific or medical research, Saikia said scientific advancement must not justify unnecessary animal suffering.

He urged the Central Government and the CCSEA not to finalise the draft rules in their present form and called for animal welfare concerns to be thoroughly examined before a final decision is taken.