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Journalism of Courage
Community feeders, caregivers and dog lovers came together from across Delhi and neighbouring cities on Monday as they took part in Azadi 2.0 March in West Delhi’s Pitampura at District Park. This was the latest in the series of protests that are being held following a directive by the Supreme Court last week on relocating stray dogs.
The protest site also bore witness to several creative posters. In some of them, dogs were seen behind bars while in some others, the dogs were shown pleading in front of the judges in hope for a relief in the order. Rekha (40), a resident of Rohini, keeps dog food readily available in her car whenever she travels, in case she finds a dog on the streets. “I have been feeding dogs since the age of 10. I agree there are dog bite cases, but as a mother I keep an eye on my kid whether they go to school or play outside. If the MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi) sterilises the stray dogs properly, there will be no danger,” she said.
She questioned why the issue of stray dogs is getting spotlight while issues like rape, corruption and poverty are disregarded.
Cutting across age groups, the protest saw huge participation from dog lovers. Bilochan Singh (64) and Harjeet Kaur (54) from Model Town got down from an e-rickshaw asking around for the address of the protest site.
“How can middle class people like us bear the cost of every sterilisation? We have rescued five dogs, we feed them, look after them, but what more can be done with the pension money we get?,” the couple asked. They questioned the Delhi government’s inefficiency to carry out vaccination drives for the stray dogs.
Vikrant Kaushik (24), who feeds nearly 30-35 dogs in Rohini also joined the protest. Holding a poster which read, “awara nahi humara hai”, (They’re not strays, they belong to us), Kaushik asserted that the ‘SC took a wrong decision’.
At the protest site, many people can be seen spotting tricolour scarves and raising slogans using megaphones. Slogans like ‘We want justice’, ‘End this suppression’, to ‘Gully gully main shor han MCD chor hai’ (Every lane is echoing — the MCD is a thief), rang through the air.
Vikram Kochar (38), from Shalimar Bagh, remarked the civic body is not equipped to carry out the sterilisation and vaccination of stray dogs efficiently. “We have ourselves picked up stray dogs and treated them with our money, as there are no working MCD hospital units. The court contradicts the ABC (Animal Birth Control) Act and PCA( Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) Act and goes against the AWBI (Animal Welfare Board of India) advisory body of the government,” he said.
“The stray dogs will either die of hunger or become extinct because they are being kept in very cruel places,” Kochar said.
Preeti Dhawan (40) who feeds 300 dogs in Pitampura said that there is no alternative to sterilisation. “We can’t keep all the dogs at our place but won’t let the MCD pick them.”
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