Animal rights activists from across the region took to the streets of Sector 17 here on Sunday, marching in front of the iconic Neelam Theatre in a four-hour peaceful demonstration against Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s call to “eliminate” community dogs — a statement that had triggered a global social media firestorm, a stinging rebuke from animal rights icon Maneka Sanjay Gandhi and a government climbdown, all within 48 hours.
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Organised by activist Saarthak Jain, the protest drew veterinarians, students, professionals and ordinary citizens from multiple states, who marched through Sector 17 carrying banners and raising slogans including “tanashahi nahi chalegi” and “every living being matters.” The demonstration concluded with a candlelight march in tribute to community animals lost to neglect and cruelty.
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“This is a strong message for all states across India that every life matters. If any such baseless actions are taken, there will be retaliation,” said Jain.
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Protesters demanded full implementation of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules 2023, establishment of animal shelters across Punjab, strict enforcement of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and a formal written commitment from the state government reaffirming the constitutional right to life of all living beings.
Animal activists light candles as a sign of tribute to the animals lost in the process. Tribune photo
What triggered it
The protest was the latest flashpoint in a controversy ignited by Mann’s late-night post on X on May 21, in which he announced a “massive campaign” beginning the very next morning to “eliminate stray and killer dogs” posing a threat to children and passers-by. He cited the Supreme Court’s May 19 order as the basis. Within minutes, the post had set off a nationwide outcry. The hashtag #SavePunjabDogs began trending and within one hour had become the No. 1 trend globally on X.
What the SC actually said
The Supreme Court’s May 19 order — delivered by a bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N V Anjaria — was far more nuanced than Mann’s announcement suggested. The 131-page judgment permitted euthanasia only for rabid, incurably ill or demonstrably dangerous dogs, strictly under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and ABC Rules. It allowed relocation only to designated shelters that already exist, and only after sterilisation and vaccination. Crucially, it directed all states to first build ABC centre infrastructure, expand sterilisation capacity, appoint nodal officers and map dog populations — placing structured implementation as the very first step, not mass removal.
Maneka’s broadside
Maneka Sanjay Gandhi, National Chairperson of People for Animals, former Union Minister and senior BJP leader, came out swinging in an exclusive interview with The Tribune — her first to any newspaper in several years. She flatly called Mann’s announcement a “wilful distortion” of the SC order. “You cannot jump from Step 1 to Step 9 because it suits a political narrative. That is not governance. That is theatre,” she told this newspaper.
She pointed out that no dog can legally be euthanised unless three veterinarians certify in writing that it is rabid, and that a healthy dog cannot be picked up and killed under any existing law. “The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act does not allow blanket killing of community animals. Period,” she said.
On Mann personally, Maneka recalled that the same CM had ordered government servants not to keep dogs at home shortly after taking charge, only to quietly withdraw the order after his own administration objected. Her advice was terse: “He should not be allowed on social media after 8 pm.”
She also issued a pointed political warning, noting that AAP had lost over 40 seats in Delhi municipal elections after announcing it would rid the city of all animals — a conclusion drawn from the party’s own internal post-mortem. “They fundamentally misunderstand the soul of India. Even people afraid of dogs do not want animals killed,” she said.
The U-turn
Less than 24 hours after his incendiary post, Mann quietly reversed course. On May 22, he posted again on X, stating that Punjab would follow the SC order “in letter and spirit” — including humane care, creation of dog shelters and euthanasia only as legally permitted. Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria struck a measured note the same day: “It is not as if one can simply kill them — even dogs are living beings.”
The real problem
Maneka, meanwhile, pinpointed the structural rot behind the community dog crisis. She called the ABC programme one of the most corrupt in India, with over 100 untrained contractor groups winning sterilisation tenders through bribes, performing a fraction of the work and splitting the money with officials. “Government figures for sterilisations in many districts exceed the total number of dogs in those districts,” she said.
Her prescription: one sterilisation centre per district, trained NGOs and a complete halt to dog relocation. “A sterilised dog in its own territory does not bite. It is displacement — not the dog — that causes attacks,” she said.
As Maneka summed it up: “People will not accept cruelty masquerading as governance. The conscience of Punjab is bigger than hate. And the conscience of India is bigger than cruelty.