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'This is their home too': Delhiites rally for stray dogs at Jantar Mantar
The crowd broke into cheers as the air filled with the familiar notes of Give Me Some Sunshine, Arjan Vailly, and Mai Ni Meriye.
On Sunday, Delhi’s Jantar Mantar saw soulful songs replace slogans as musicians and citizens gathered to protest against the Supreme Court’s order on the mass removal of community dogs from public spaces, ahead of its next court hearing on January 7.
Popular artistes Mohit Chauhan, Rahul Ram, Shantanu Moitra, and Bhupinder Babbal lent their voices to the peaceful “Do or Die” protest. Chauhan performed Meri Aawaaz, his latest release dedicated to street dogs, stating that true humanity lies in “caring for those who cannot speak”.
The crowd broke into cheers as the air filled with the familiar notes of Give Me Some Sunshine, Arjan Vailly, and Mai Ni Meriye.
Some participants made a point holding placards reading: “Say Yes to ABC, No to Shelters,” “Pollution Hatao, Pashu Nahin”, and “Dogs Deserve Better.”
Several participants also brought their pets to support the cause, and community dogs wandered calmly through the gathering.
Sanjay Mohapatra from House of Stray Animals said, “I speak as a street dog who has lived here for years, never harmed anyone, guarded the lane at night, and is being punished for failures that are not mine.”
“Sterilisation, vaccination, and release is the only proven way to reduce dog populations and rabies. If it works everywhere else, why are we choosing what doesn’t work here?, ” shared Animal rights activist Ambika Shukla
