Elephants are still “tortured” in circuses despite a decision by Animal Welfare Board of India last year to ban their registration for performing in such shows, an animal rights group has alleged. “AWBI, a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, decided to ban the registration following reports of rampant use of weapons, including iron hooks and sticks with protruding nails to make the elephants perform. “Though, legal show-cause notices were issued to the defaulter circuses then but its been an year, neither the elephants being subjected to torture in these circuses seized and sent to rehabilitation centres nor they have been deregistered for performances,” Poorva Joshipura, CEO, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) India, claimed. Reacting to the allegations, AWBI asserted it is in the process of deregistering existing elephants at circuses and no new elephant has been registered in the past six months.