A train ran over a cat.. and France was shocked
A fierce debate about animal rights has erupted in France after a pet cat was run over by a train.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said he was shocked by the way the French railway company SNCF handled the case of the cat that died in the accident.
Awaiting investigations to show who is criminally responsible, Darmanin told a television station, adding in a tweet on Twitter that "better police training will help prevent animal cruelty."
The cat's owner, Georgia, and her daughter, Melina, were carrying it in a bag on January 2 at Montparnasse station in Paris when it escaped from the bag and disappeared under a train.
According to "dpa", after negotiating with the staff for 20 minutes, the train left.
The mother and daughter were told by the railway staff that the cat should have been kept on a leash and it was not their problem.
Since then, the animal rights group 30 Million Dummies, which translates to 30 million friends, has sued SNCF for "serious mistreatment and cruelty leading to the death of the animal".
If the case goes to trial, the court can impose a fine of up to 75,000 euros ($81,000) and a five-year prison sentence.
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