Nivetha Pethuraj asks people not to make ‘big deal’ about dog bites; faces flak from internet saying ‘you roam in car’

Nivetha Pethuraj attended a pro-street dog rally in Chennai on Sunday and spoke to the press about compassion for animals. But the internet is not having it.

Tamil-Telugu actor Nivetha Pethuraj attended a pro-street dog rally in Chennai on Sunday. Comments she made there, regarding compassion for animals and asking people not to fear-monger when it comes to street dog bites, have not gone down well with the internet. Many took to social media to remind her that she leads a privileged life and is not even in India for a chunk of time. Here’s what happened.

Nivetha Pethuraj attended a pro-street dog rally in Chennai this weekend, and a statement she made there is now getting called out.

What did Nivetha Pethuraj say?

Nivetha spoke to the press after the rally and urged people not to make a ‘big deal’ out of dog bites, while admitting that rabies is a serious issue. She said, “There is a lot of fear-mongering happening. When a dog bites, don’t make a big deal out of it or spread fear. I’m not saying it’s okay for dog bites to happen. If rabies spreads, it’s very bad and detrimental to one's health. But instead of fear-mongering, let’s look for solutions.”

She also asked people to teach children compassion towards animals from a young age, so killing dogs isn’t always the sought-after solution. “We need to educate people on the importance of compassion from a young age. When someone does something wrong, we’re not asking anybody to go kill him. We shouldn’t make the same mistakes for animals, also. Awareness, compassion, and practical measures, such as vaccination and sterilisation, need more attention,” said Nivetha.

How did the internet react?

While some people on the internet seemed to understand Nivetha’s point, leaving comments like, “It's a good reasoning!” and “what did she say that’s wrong?” others were not as convinced. One person wrote, “She roams in luxury car, what about the people roaming in streets , walking .. can't go anywhere at night by walk.” Another claimed, “She does not walk on streets with a garbage bag looking for a bin to trash it, so she has no say.”

One X (formerly Twitter) user even brought Nivetha’s love for racing into it and said, “Your lifestyle - star hotels and race car. But most people actually walk outside to get to get to home from school, work, hospitals, or buses. Kids play outside. Public spaces must be safe for humans first.” Another claimed, “Stray dogs are always problem for the poor and not the rich people.”

Some even pointed out that she lives in Dubai for a chunk of time, leaving comments like, “Does Dubai have street dogs?” and “Easy cause Dubai has no stray dogs right?” Nivetha has yet to respond to their criticism.

Nivetha was last seen in the 2023 Telugu film Das Ka Dhamki and the Tamil-Telugu film Boo. She also starred in the Disney+ Hotstar Hindi series Kaala and the Zee5 Telugu show Paruvu. She is engaged to Dubai-based businessman Rajhith Ibran. They made their relationship Instagram official in August.