Police detained animal rights activists who were protesting at the India Gate in New Delhi after the country's Supreme Court ordered the removal of all stray dogs from the national capital region earlier in the day.
Cited a surge in cases of people being bitten by strays, the bench said, "Round up all stray dogs from all localities, including localities on the outskirts of Delhi, and shift them to some other place…Whether sterilised or not sterilised, the society must feel free and safe. You should not have any stray dogs roaming around."
No one knows exactly how many stray dogs roam the streets of the region, but estimates put the number above 100,000.
While many of the dogs roaming New Delhi's streets are harmless, hospital records suggest New Delhi sees nearly 2,000 dog-bite incidents each day. The court described the number as "extremely grim".
"Infants, young children should not at any cost fall prey to stray dogs," it said.
However, the Supreme Court's order to construct shelters to house 5,000 dogs within eight weeks did little to further its cause.
However, many disagreed with the move.
"We want the dogs to be protected... They don't have enough shelters to accommodate so many dogs. In the end, they will throw all the dogs outside Delhi, where they will die," a caregiver told Asian News International while being detained by the police.
Dr Mini Aravindan, senior director of veterinary affairs at PETA India, told Hindustan Times, "Displacement and jailing of dogs has never worked. Such actions will not curb the dog population, reduce rabies or prevent bites, as dogs eventually return to their territories.
Vidit Sharma, founder of the animal welfare organization Save A Stray wrote on social media, "We respectfully believe the focus should be on humane solutions for street dogs in Delhi — mass vaccination and sterilization — rather than removal."
A similar incident occured in Dhaka in mid-August 2020, when Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh declared he would free the streets of Bangladesh's capital from stray dogs.
"You will never find a stray animal on the streets in any civilised country. This poses a risk to the people," he had told media.
However, his statements caused a massive stir, and he soon changed his tone, saying that he was willing to work towards a long-term solution.
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