New Delhi: Animal rights activists and caregivers observed a "Black Thursday" at Jantar Mantar to protest against the Supreme Court directive for relocation of stray dogs, and pledged to carry out sterilisation drives themselves to work towards a rabies-free India.
Dressed in black and holding placards that read: "ABC is the law, compassion is the way", "Vaccinate, sterilise, return not remove", "Ahimsa for all, big or small", and "Kindness is our strength, let street dogs live," the protesters raised slogans demanding justice for street animals.
"Kaise maar sakte ho, Mahadev ke bacho ko," "Awara nahi humara hai," and "Jeev hai to jeevan hai" were among the slogans heard at the demonstration.
One of the activists said, "We want to send a message to all animal lovers across the country to come together and help us create a rabies-free India. We will no longer depend on government departments for sterilisation. We are ready to take this responsibility ourselves." Mukesh Kumar, a 90 per cent disabled activist, said he stepped out of his home after nearly two and a half years only to join the protest. "Instead of ensuring proper sterilisation and protection of dogs, the government is relocating them," he said.
The protest, organisers said, will continue for four days, with a larger gathering planned on Saturday at Jantar Mantar.
The demonstration comes in the wake of a recent Supreme Court ruling that directed authorities in Delhi-NCR to start picking up stray dogs from all localities "at the earliest" and relocate the animals permanently to dog shelters.
The order has drawn criticism from animal welfare groups, who argue that shelters are inadequate and ill-equipped and insist that the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme, which mandates sterilisation and vaccination before releasing dogs back to their original locations, is the only lawful and humane solution.
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