More violations, chaos as MCD frees dogs in Delhi: Activists

Officials on Monday released the animals in Delhi, with many canines from disparate packs now in unfamiliar territory, said rights groups

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s (MCD) drive to pick up community dogs from streets and public spaces across the Capital ahead of the G20 Summit -- of its own accord and without being asked to do so by anybody -- began cruelly and inhumanely more than 10 days ago. And it culminated in chaos and more cruelty on Monday, according to animal rights groups, as authorities started releasing canines back into colonies – at random, not their home habitats.

MCD on August 3 issued orders saying it will undertake a month-long drive to remove community dogs from at least 50 key locations, sparking outrage. (Sanjeev Verma/ HT Photo)

With no records of the animals’ original territories to rely on, officials on Monday released the animals across neighbourhoods in Delhi, with many canines from disparate packs now in unfamiliar territory, said rights groups.

Many dogs were not properly tagged while being picked up and locked in pounds, kept away from their territories for several days, and released into neighbourhoods at random on Monday, said Ambika Shukla, animal rights activist and the director of Sanjay Gandhi Animal Care Centre (SGACC).

“We had offered to coordinate with them before releasing dogs but MCD in a vindictive manner pre-empted us and starting loading dogs without letting us identify them. The dogs from Red Fort are microchipped and they were kept in Rohini, Usmanpur and Bela Road but they even called police to stop us in ensuring an orderly release. The corporation has failed at every step over the last 11 days from illegal capturing of dogs, using cruel methods to lift them, a lack of staying facilities, to now finally at messing up the process of releasing them back. Instead of making amends, the corporation now seems to be vindictive and this will lead to so many missing and relocated old, blind and weak dogs,” Shukla said.

The statement added, “It is further informed that the MCD’s action of picking the dogs was agitated and challenged before Hon’ble high court today. That in the said matter hon’ble high court without allowing any indulgence/ without even issuing notice, disposed the writ petition... It is once again assured, at the cost of repetition, that the entire exercise of lifting and releasing the dogs is being done in compliance of ABC, Rules 2023. MCD being a responsible organisation is sensitive to the cause and doing all the acts as per law.”

MCD on August 3 issued orders saying it will undertake a month-long drive to remove community dogs from at least 50 key locations, sparking outrage. This was modified the next day and completely withdrawn on August 5.

Yet, MCD quietly began relocating street dogs — including those already sterilised — on September 1, a claim that mayor Shelly Oberoi distanced herself from, despite enough evidence of this.

Community dogs serve as guard dogs, and keep the rodent population down. They can’t be exterminated or simply shipped out; there are legal restrictions against both. According to guidelines laid down by the Animal Welfare Board of India and Prevention of Cruelty (Animal Birth Control) Rules, 2023, a civic body can pick up dogs to sterilise them, but after surgery and recovery, they must be released in the same area.

Strays, as community dogs are known, are most comfortable in their own surroundings. Uprooting them, experts warned, can scare them, make them lonely, and in turn make them aggressive and trigger fights with other dogs and conflicts with humans. Experts say that relocation of dogs leads to them becoming more aggressive. Their feeding sites are not accessible. Their fights with dogs in new territory increased leading them to become more furious. The change in behaviour can lead to more bite cases.

Divya Puri, the founder of Karan Puri Foundation, an NGO working for animal welfare, said that MCD has not followed ABC rules right from the beginning. “They did not pick up the dogs as per rules as each dog had to be geo-tagged. MCD cannot pick up sterilised dogs under these rules. The drive was illegal right from the beginning. Butterfly nets have to be used in the process. Dogs in were stuffed up in inadequate space and dogs were moved to faraway places as they simply did not have capacity to keep dog in nearby areas. We have filed a PIL in the matter which will be taken up later,” she said.

Shukla said civic bodies turned down their help during the drive. “We offered to coordinate with these animal birth control (ABC) centres. But MCD pre-empted us and started loading dogs without letting us identify them. For instance, dogs from Red Fort are microchipped, but were kept in Rohini, Usmanpur and Bela Road,” she said.

The civic body made mistakes at every step of the canine removal drive, said experts.

First, they did not need to rid the streets and colonies of community dogs at all, said Anushka Chaudhary, a caregiver from PFA. There were no such orders either from the Centre or central authorities. In fact, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), which governs Lutyens’s Delhi (where most G20 leaders and delegates stayed during the summit), did not carry out such a drive themselves.

Second, local animal rights groups were not consulted before or during the drive, said People For Animals, House of Stray Animals India, and members of Delhi Animal Welfare Board. Consulting local experts and groups would have ensured dogs were not ill-treated and neutered dogs not picked up, as eventually happened to be the case.

Third, the animals were tortured and treated inhumanely. Civic authorities used sticks, rods, metal clamps and umbrella nets to force dogs into vans, all methods that are widely considered cruel and have fallen out of favour. Videos of dogs being beaten, flayed, dragged and dumped into drains circulated online widely at the start of the month.

Fourth, sterilised dogs were picked up, against the rules.

Fifth, dogs were kept in pounds and shelters away from their territory.

Finally, experts said dogs were not tagged, which resulted in Monday’s chaos, which will in turn have lasting implications on a neighbourhood-level. Indeed, scared dogs turn aggressive, which could potentially cause a flash-point in colonies, many of which are uniformly divided between dog lovers and dog haters.

People For Animals estimates that around 1200 dogs were removed from areas such as Pragati Maidan, Bhairon Mandir, terminals 1 , 2 and 3 of the Delhi Airport, Aerocity, Mahipalpur, Palam Air Force Station, Qutub Area, Nehru Place, Lal Qila, Raj Ghat, Pusa Road and CBD ground Shahdara.

Gauri Maulekhi, a trustee for PFA, said, “MCD ignored the provisions of the ABC Rules 2023 with regard to planning, catching, tagging, housing, maintaining records and also the release of dogs. They antagonised caregivers of the dogs who provide voluntary services, not even revealing any written orders.”

“Dogs are territorial and intelligent animals. If relocated from their familiar territory or handled brutally, it is only natural that conflict with people will increase. The people and animals of Delhi deserve better,” she said.