Rohini Roars: Citizens Rise Against Stray Dog Cruelty
Date: August 23, 2025
Location: Delhi’s Rohini Sector 27
Last night, the streets of Rohini bore witness to an outpouring of grief, compassion, and righteous fury. Around 150 activists, dog feeders, and concerned locals gathered outside the Rohini Animal Birth Control (ABC) centre, demanding entry to expose the alleged cruelty hidden behind its doors. Videos captured on social media show police wielding lathis to disperse the crowd—and some protesters were even taken into custody as chants rose into the night.
From Fear to Fury
At the heart of the protest was a haunting allegation: that captured stray dogs were dying, their bodies discarded carelessly. Activist Jiya Saklani recounted how feeders tracing captured dogs discovered bones and dead bodies strewn across the centre’s backyard—horrors that turned sorrow into determination.
When the crowd surged, the police responded with force. Saklani and others described scenes of struggle—people being beaten, choked, forcibly dragged away. But their resolve was not broken; by pleading, four volunteers were finally permitted inside.
Authority Speaks, But Silence Speaks Louder
The Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer North), Hareshwar V. Swami, disputed the allegations of brutality. He claimed there were no medical‑legal certificates supporting reports of assault. He framed the protest as manipulative crowd‑instigation and said only a few individuals were detained
Justice Stirs: A Court Reprieve, A Nation Awakened
This protest erupted on the heels of a pivotal Supreme Court reversal. On August 22, the court walked back its previous blanket removal order—mandating that strays be sterilised, vaccinated, and released, unless aggressive. The court also requested the establishment of designated feeding points.
Why This Moment Matters
Accountability over apathy: Citizens demanded transparency—not mere explanations.
Empathy over indifference: These dogs were not statistics—they were living beings discarded like refuse.
Justice over complacency: The movement awakened more than outrage—it ignited activism.
What Lies Ahead
For citizens and activists:
Keep pressing for comprehensive investigations, legal audits, and public media scrutiny of shelter conditions.
Lobby for independent oversight, perhaps involving veterinarians and NGOs, to monitor ABC operations.
For authorities:
The SC’s revised order must be coupled with infrastructure—clean, humane shelters, transparent records, and public feeding zones.
The community has shown its strength. Letting cruelty go unchecked would turn protests into a perpetual outcry.
India and Turkey: A Disturbing Mirror for Stray Dogs’ Future
An unsettling pattern is emerging between India and Turkey when it comes to the treatment of stray dogs — and it spells deep trouble for Delhi’s strays.
In both countries, authorities have increasingly leaned on mass confinement, relocation, and sheltering policies that sound orderly on paper but in reality amount to slow death sentences for street animals.
Turkey’s notorious shelter system — overcrowded, underfunded, and rife with abuse — has already led to widespread suffering, and activists fear India is walking the same road. The recent attempts to sweep Delhi’s streets clear of dogs echo Turkeys tactics of removing animals from sight to appease public image, rather than addressing root issues through sterilisation, vaccination, and community coexistence.
If India continues to mirror Turkeys model of institutionalised neglect disguised as “management,” the future for Delhi’s million-plus strays could be catastrophic.
A Call to Action
Rohini is not just another protest story. It's a glare into the conscience of our city, demanding that we no longer look away.
Speak out. Use social media, local forums, newspapers.
Watch closely. Stay engaged. A single night of silent bones under streetlights has ignited a movement—let’s carry that flame forward.