After the death of an industrialist due to dog attack, the eyes of the government should be opened.

Parag Desai, executive director of Wagh Bakri Tea Group, died at a private hospital in Ahmedabad after suffering serious head injuries during an attack by stray dogs. 49-year-old Desai was attacked by stray dogs outside his house. This incident shows the condition of neglect in controlling stray animals and weak government machinery in the country. Not only the common man but even the industrialists are suffering from this. Despite hundreds of dog bite incidents occurring every day, the Centre, state governments and local bodies have failed to address this decades-old problem. If the same accident had happened to a foreign tourist, India would have been disgraced in the world. There is no guarantee that foreign tourists will never become targets of stray dogs. Not only the legislature but also the judiciary has not been able to find any concrete solution to this issue.

The Supreme Court’s attention was drawn to this issue recently when Chief Justice DY Chandrachud asked after seeing a lawyer’s hand bandaged during the hearing. The other judge sitting with the Chief Justice is Justice P.S. Narasimha said that this kind of problem regarding stray dogs is a serious problem. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who was present in the court, termed it a serious problem and said that cases of dog bites are coming to light every day. Even the news of deaths of small and innocent children is quite disturbing. Agreeing with the concern of the Solicitor General, Chief Justice Chandrachud had said that two years ago, my law clerk was parking his car when stray dogs surrounded him and attacked him. Vijay Hansaria, another senior advocate in the court, also requested the Chief Justice that the court should take suo motu cognizance of this serious problem. Hansaria said that due to different decisions of different High Courts of the country on this matter, there is a situation of confusion. Therefore, the Supreme Court should take suo motu cognizance and pass an order. On the demand of Solicitor General and Hansaria, the Chief Justice said that he will consider it. However, even before, many petitions from other states of the country on the menace of stray dogs have been pending in the Supreme Court for years.

Be it the petition of PETA (animal rights organization) against sterilization regarding the increasing number of stray dogs and attacks in Tamil Nadu or the petitions filed against the orders of Kerala and Bombay High Court, are also pending in the Supreme Court. A petition was also filed in the Supreme Court on behalf of the District Panchayat of Kannur, Kerala, in which there was a demand to kill the dogs which have become dangerous to humans by giving them injections. In a historic decision of the Delhi High Court in 2021, the right to food has been guaranteed to stray dogs. It also warns that care should be taken in ensuring this right. This should not infringe the rights of other citizens. The issue of removal of stray dogs from the roads by MCD during the G-20 event was also raised in the Delhi High Court. A PIL was filed alleging that the dogs were being held illegally by the MCD. On the petition, MCD had argued in the Delhi High Court that the street dogs were caught only because of the G-20 event and now they are being released in the same area from where they were caught. These dogs were released without sterilization. Now this problem has become a headache in the country’s capital also.

Regarding the number of stray dogs and cats, in a report released by The State of Pet Homelessness Index Data for India, it was said that the number of stray dogs in the country is about 6.2 crores, while the number of such cats is about 91 lakhs. About 88 lakh dogs and cats are in shelter homes. The report said that due to the increasing number of stray animals in the country, there has been a decline in India’s All Pets Wanted score. India’s score on the 10-point scale is currently 2.4. The report also claims that 85 percent of dogs and cats in India are homeless. According to the report, about 68 percent people say that they see at least one stray cat every week and about 77 percent people said that they easily see stray dogs.

61 percent of India’s population does not visit a veterinarian after being bitten by stray dogs due to practical reasons like distance, reputation or facilities. This is much more than the worldwide average of 31 percent. According to People for Animals, the number of stray dogs in the country is at least three for every 100 people. If we talk about other countries of the world apart from India, the report shows that the number of homeless dogs and cats in China is about 75 million. At the same time, this figure is 20.6 lakh in Germany, 74 lakh in Mexico, 41 lakh in Russia, 41 lakh in South Africa and 11 lakh in Britain. In the report, India’s situation regarding this matter has been described as worrying. On the other hand, the World Health Organization says that India’s share in deaths due to rabies disease due to dog bites is 36 percent. Despite the problem being so serious, the responsible government machinery of the country is in the dark.

Stray dogs are protected under Section 38 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of 1960. This means that it is illegal to neglect or abuse a dog. Punitive action will be taken against the person doing so. Stray Dogs Today, stray dogs are a cause of great controversy in big cities. Life has become difficult because of stray dogs. Such incidents happen every day, due to which there is fear among the walkers. There is a risk of dog attacks even when children are playing. On the other side, there is a group of activists who believe that these animals cannot do anything without being teased! A program against stray dogs was carried out in Sikkim, consisting of mass sterilization and annual anti-rabies vaccination programme. Due to this, there are very few rabies cases in Sikkim. There should be changes in the existing rules such that the emphasis should not only be on reducing the population of stray dogs, but a target should be set to make the roads free from dogs. Dog lovers will also have to be made responsible. If the problem of stray dogs, which is becoming acute in the country, is not resolved immediately, then it is possible that someday India may have to face embarrassment in the world if it becomes a victim of a foreign tourist. Before such a situation arises, government and autonomous bodies should find a concrete and permanent solution to this problem.

-Yogendra Yogi