Police on Monday detained several animal rights activists, rescuers, caregivers, and dog lovers who gathered at India Gate to protest the Supreme Court’s directive to remove all stray dogs from Delhi-NCR streets and relocate them to shelters within eight weeks.
“They don’t want us to talk… I am being detained because I do the noble work of feeding animals,” said one dog caregiver as police escorted protestors away.
Earlier in the day, a bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan ordered that all localities be made free of stray dogs, stressing there should be “no compromise.” The court also ruled that no captured dog should be released back onto the streets and warned of contempt proceedings against anyone obstructing the drive.
“If any individual or organisation comes in the way of picking stray dogs or rounding them up, we will proceed to take action against such resistance,” Justice Pardiwala stated.
The bench further directed state and municipal bodies to set up well-staffed shelters equipped for sterilisation and vaccination. Authorities in Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Ghaziabad, MCD, and NMDC were instructed to prioritise capturing stray dogs, particularly from vulnerable areas, and to create special forces if necessary to execute the order without delay.
