Updated On: 04 January, 2026 07:54 PM IST | Divya Nair
Dog lovers, experts, and activists gathered for a demonstration at New Swami Samarth Nagar in Andheri, Mumbai, over the Supreme Court`s recent order to remove street dogs from public spaces, demanding an evidence-based, lawful, and humane policy on stray dogs. Ahead of the apex court`s next hearing on the matter on January 7, the protesters, gathered under the banner `Do or Die`, called for an immediate stay on the mass removal and confinement orders of community dogs (PICS/SATEJ SHINDE, TEXT/PTI)

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Simultaneously demonstrations took place in over 50 cities across the country, including in Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Trivandrum
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On November 7, 2025, the Supreme Court ordered to remove all stray dogs from railway stations, schools, hospitals, bus stops and other public areas, and relocate them to a "designated shelter" after due sterilisation and vaccination in accordance with the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules

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The protesters, in a statement, asserted that public-health experts, veterinarians and scientists have expressed concern over the unscientific approach to mass removal and confinement of stray dogs
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These actions will weaken rabies-control efforts, destabilise urban ecosystems, and disproportionately affect low-income and underserved communities, they said

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The mobilisation follows weeks of misinformation and alarmist media reporting that influenced public narrative and policy response before verified facts were examined, the statement read
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"A media report that led to the current suo motu proceedings incorrectly attributed a child`s tragic death to rabies, a claim later contradicted by official records. Despite the correction, the initial misinformation became the emotional and political foundation for sweeping directions affecting millions of animals and people," it read

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According to experts, Animal Birth Control with Anti-Rabies Vaccination (ABC-ARV/CNVR) has never been implemented at the scale required for epidemiological impact in most states
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