Overview
- Large demonstrations in Pune Camp and at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park opposed the November 7 Supreme Court directive to remove community dogs from public institutions.
- The three-judge bench ordered fencing of schools, hospitals, sports complexes, bus stands and railway stations, with dogs to be vaccinated, sterilised and relocated to shelters rather than released.
- Youth Congress members in Mumbai joined activists calling for the order to be withdrawn and for a solution focused on sterilisation and vaccination.
- Organisers cited logistical shortfalls, noting Mumbai’s estimated stray population of over 90,000 and shelters already at capacity, with warnings of overcrowding, disease and clandestine dumping.
- Protesters promoted alternatives including mass sterilisation drives, microchipping and licensing, stricter anti-cruelty enforcement, curbs on illegal breeding and adoption incentives, as some schools like Andheri’s Tulip English School urged keeping bonded community dogs on campus.