Delhi, being a densely populated city, is home to a large population of street dogs – loving and compassionate beings who protect the city’s communities and homes and offer the residents a soothing balm from the humdrum and bellicosity of city life.

The constitution of our country requires us to be compassionate to these animals and all other animals. Based on this, the humane and dignified treatment of these animals has been guaranteed by the Hon'ble Delhi High Court in case Dr. Maya D. Chablani vs Smt Radha Mittal & Ors. on 24 June, 2021 and has also got a stamp of approval from the Highest court of the country, ie. The Hon’ble Supreme Court. The hon'ble courts have guaranteed their rights from hunger, thirst, distress, physical injury, and pain, as well as the freedom to “express natural patterns of behaviour” (Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960). The Honourable Courts of India have further clarified that the “Removal of Healthy Dogs from their territories and housing them in shelters in the name of welfare and adoption or caregiving is not permitted”. In an order dating back to 2011, the Court directed the police to provide protection to dogs and dog feeders and has made it a punishable offence in case anyone restricts, prohibits or causes inconvenience to any person feeding an animal or bird or resorts to removal, impounding, dislocation or killing of the same. The Court also directed all concerned to ensure “Dog Feeding” is appropriately done in local areas, involving AWBI, Urban Local Bodies and RWAs to facilitate the same in Local Areas, leaving the dogs to range freely and without any harm or subjugation.

In contravention of these protections, the Aam Admi Party, in a recent press statement, has called for the “Mass Adoption of dogs by NGOs in an attempt to rid the streets of stray dogs.” (Deccan Herald, 17th November 2022). In the statement, AAP hopes to elicit the help of ‘NGOs to adopt stray dogs and offered to fund their expenses' which in affect is aimed at enclosing these free roaming dogs into shelters. The Party, on previous occasions, has also made public statements to the same effect in the context of “freeing Delhi’s streets of the menace of stray animals”.   

Along with disregarding the directions of the courts and provisions of the Constitution, such statements are also inhuman, cruel for dogs, ignorant and reckless. The Party, for instance, seems unaware that apart from individual citizens, no NGO (for that matter, even AWO/Corporation/ Body) is allowed to permanently house dogs in large numbers in shelters/ Pounds/ Facilities/ Hostels. Moreover, in issuing this statement, AAP has instigated the citizens of Delhi into believing that the Delhi streets can be “gotten rid of Street Dogs and other animals”. Consequently, “stray dogs and their caregivers have become targets of their official policy". The likely effect will only be increasing crimes against the animals and those who care for them. It may also be noted that these animals have become very close to the hearts of the caregivers and now removing them cruelly from their existing habitat is going to hurt them, just like losing their children, since such shelters are no more than a prison for these dogs.

The official spokesperson of AAP had himself agreed that the earlier MCDs have not taken this issue seriously which we also agree. Had the MCDs taken this issue seriously, they would have provided full cooperation and funds for the AWBI’s ABC scheme and vaccination programmes. The caregivers for the animals have often not got support from the MCD in getting the dogs of their areas sterilised in order to control their population, otherwise by now, we would have very controlled population of the stray Dogs. If your party is agreeing to the careless attitude of the MCD towards this, otherwise very successful and scientific ABC scheme of AWBI, shouldn’t you give a serious try towards the success of this scheme for at least 4 to 5 years? This scheme has been successful in various countries and there is no reason for it be unsuccessful in our country, if serious efforts are made by the Municipality towards this.  

Also, the cruelty towards these stray dogs has been the worst, off late. Videos of some of the recent cases reported from Delhi are available. We wonder why have AAP completely ignored that part. Is AAP ok with such cruelty, which is also one of the prime reasons for aggressiveness amongst some of the stray dogs? As per many studies, such cruel people are most likely to resort to cruelty against vulnerable humans as well. Shouldn’t AAP be addressing this cruelty as first priority? In fact, on the contrary, since your public stand against the animals, your own MLAs and party workers are openly abusing the animal lovers, who want to co-exist with the Mother Nature as it is, without interfering much for selfish needs and short-sightedness.

Therefore, as concerned citizens, we urge and request the AAP to immediately withdraw their unconstitutional public statement made in contravention to the Constitution of India and the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India in the matter of stray dogs and an evident subjugation of the rights of other animals as well and rather promise to allot funds and accord priority to the ABC scheme to control stray population. We also call on the Party’s office and campaign team to refrain from any anti-animal activity and statements in future.