NEW DELHI: Animal lovers from across the country held protests in several cities to voice their opposition to the recent Supreme Court order on the removal of stray dogs from public places. In Delhi, a large crowd gathered at the Jantar Mantar protest site ahead of the Supreme Court hearing on the matter, scheduled for January 7.
Bollywood singer Mohit Chauhan, music composer Shantanu Moitra, and musician Rahul Ram were among those present in Delhi. Chauhan, who recently released the song Meri Awaaz dedicated to the voiceless, sang a few lines on stage. Addressing the crowd, he said, “The minute I heard about this mass protest, I decided that I have to attend it. I feed several stray dogs in my area and take care of them, and I strongly stand by the cause.”
Musician Rahul Ram, associated with the band Indian Ocean, told the newspaper, “The court orders passed on this issue are extremely arbitrary and are not well thought out. We must not say that the judge is wrong; it is the judgement that is.”
Placards and slogans at the protest read, “Say Yes to ABC, No to Shelter” and “Rapists Bhagao, Kutte Nahi” (Punish the rapists, not dogs). The protest was organised by a collective of animal lovers rather than any single organisation.
Their demands included: an immediate stay on directions mandating mass removal and confinement of community dogs, meaningful Supreme Court hearings including veterinarians, epidemiologists, public health and animal behaviour experts, and a return to evidence-based governance with proper funding and implementation of Animal Birth Control (ABC) and Anti-Rabies Vaccine (ARV) programs as mandated by law.
Animal activist Priya Tuli, who attended the protest, said, “Putting all the dogs in these shelters is not a feasible option. These will be a euphemism for a death camp.”
Ahead of the SC’s hearing, protesters gathered under the banner Do or Die, calling for an immediate stay on the mass removal and confinement orders. Similar demonstrations took place in over 50 cities across India, including Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Trivandrum.