Delhi Police File Four FIRs Over Unauthorised Dog Lovers’ Protests
Delhi Police have lodged four FIRs in connection with protests staged by dog lovers without prior permission at multiple locations in the New Delhi district on August 11 and 12, officials said on Friday.
Police said the demonstrations were held despite prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), earlier Section 144 of the CrPC, which is currently in force in the district as part of heightened security measures ahead of Independence Day.
According to officials, the protests turned unruly when police personnel attempted to disperse the demonstrators, leading to clashes at some sites. Several videos of the incidents have since gone viral on social media, drawing public attention.
“Those who refused to leave the protest sites despite repeated requests were detained. Legal action will be taken against all those found violating the law,” said the Delhi police.
One viral clip shows the Station House Officer of Tughlaq Road police station being manhandled by a group of protesters, while another video captures a confrontation between a woman sub-inspector and a female protester inside a bus.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court reserved its order on pleas seeking a stay on its August 11 directive to remove all stray dogs from localities in the Delhi-NCR region and place them in shelter homes.
A three-judge bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria stated that it would pass an interim order on the August 11 decision of a different bench.
At the outset, Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta, representing the Delhi government, remarked that there was a “loud vocal minority” and a “silent suffering majority.”
“In a democracy, there is a vocal majority and one who silently suffers. We had seen videos of people eating chicken, eggs, etc., and then claiming to be animal lovers. It was an issue to be resolved. Children were dying… Sterilisation did not stop rabies; even if you immunised them, that did not stop mutilation of children,” the Solicitor General submitted.
On August 11, the apex court had ordered that all localities in Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Faridabad be made free of stray dogs, with no compromise on the matter. It had also made it clear that no captured animal should be released back onto the streets. (ANI)
