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New Delhi: The Supreme Court’s recent ruling ordering all stray dogs in Delhi-NCR to be relocated to shelters within eight weeks has triggered a wave of strong responses. While public safety advocates have welcomed the move as overdue protection, animal welfare groups have warned against undermining the rights and care of the animals.
TV9 Network MD & CEO Barun Das shared his views on the subject, detailing how the behaviour of stray dogs holds a mirror to the society.
Elaborating on how he feels that ‘animal instinct’ might be a grossly misrepresented term, Das said that animals react only when they are threatened. “Unless, of course, they are part of nature’s food chain,” he clarified. “The way a dog responds to a visitor in a locality reflects the way the society is inhabited,” he observed, adding that an attack on a child by a dog is likely the result of past mistreatment by someone else.
Saying that the verdict has sparked both relief and concern, TV9 Network MD & CEO hailed the order as “a step toward public safety”. However, he also cautioned that the order should spark a deeper debate on the relationship between humans and animals. “This is more than a legal order — it’s a conversation we all need to have,” he said.
With an estimated eight lakh stray dogs on the streets of Delhi-NCR, SC order has massive ramifications. While public safety advocates have welcomed the move as overdue protection, animal welfare groups warned against undermining the rights and care of the animals.
Terming the situation of strays as “extremely grim”, the apex court has ordered the Delhi government and civic bodies to start removing dogs from localities immediately, housing them in shelters. Das welcomed the move, saying: “If we have the shelter home ready in eight weeks, we would heave a sigh of relief. But what is the ailment here? That’s the question.”
While on one hand the rising cases of dog attacks on children and the elderly is alarming, Das also highlighted the cruelty towards animals, citing the “inhuman treatment meted out to dogs by individuals and mobs without any provocation.” In such situation, he opines that the debate needs to pivot away from the binary.
Das urged all stakeholders to ensure smooth, humane implementation. “If the stipulated eight weeks are not enough, let that be shown without ill-will towards either point of view. Proof of idea lies in sincerity rather than bravado,” he wrote.
He stressed the need for balance: “Humans and animals can and should coexist as ordained by nature.”
