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Street fighters
There is an odd saying: No good deed goes unpunished. Nothing proves it more than what happens to all those who feed street animals, writes Ambika Shukla.
There is an odd saying: No good deed goes unpunished. Nothing proves it more than what happens to all those who feed street animals. Instead of getting any reward, they are abused. Take the case of a Delhi-based lawyer: she and her mother used to take care of old and handicapped dogs in their locality. But they were verbally and physically attacked by their neighbours and forced to shift out.
Things came to head on October 2, 2009, when goons attacked them. But instead of taking action against the goons, the Station House Officer of the Mehrauli Police Station told the lawyer that he would book her for feeding the dogs.
The case went to the Delhi High Court and it ruled that feeding dogs is lawful and helpful as it keeps them healthy and makes it easier for the municipality to sterilise them. The order has come as welcome relief.
What’s important to understand is that objecting to street dogs has nothing to do with dogs. Those who cannot do anything about all the other problems that afflict our cities are delighted to pounce on the dogs. Streetdogs are a boon. They clean up our garbage, control the rat population and provide security to those who live on the street. It was a group of streetdogs at Mumbai’s VT station that raised the alarm when terrorists attacked the place in 2008. The dogs were killed but they saved the lives of many who were able to find cover.
Ambika Shukla is an animal rights activist
The views expressed by the author are personal
