The menace of street dogs has come in Telangana. There was often talk of crushing them or killing them with poison, but the limit reached when 100 dogs were poisoned to death in Yacharam, a village in Rangareddy district near the capital Hyderabad. In this case, a police case has been registered against the village Sarpanch, Gram Sabha Committee members and Village Secretary etc. It is alleged that these dogs were killed by giving poisonous injections. This incident happened on the evening of 19 January and a case was registered the next day. FIR was written under sections of the Cruelty to Animals Act. Due to this campaign to make dog-free villages, cases of mass killing of dogs came to light in many other villages of Telangana. Even on January 14, many dogs were killed by giving poisonous injections in the villages of this district.
Actually, there was a call for dog liberation in the Gram Panchayat elections in Telangana. After winning the elections, a campaign to kill stray dogs started. There have been reports of 500 dogs being killed since January 6 from different districts of Telangana. When the organizations working against animal cruelty started raising noise, the police also lost their sleep. Dogs were killed on such a large scale but even their dead bodies could not be found. Either the villagers suppressed them or threw them in the forests, but the Telangana government is also feeling embarrassed by this cruelty. The game came to light when Adulapuram Gautam, manager of Stray Animal Foundation of India, first lodged a police report on January 12. So far, FIR has been written against six sarpanches regarding the Yacharam incident.
NGOs working against animal cruelty say that instead of killing animals in this way, it is better for the government to get the dogs sterilized on its own initiative. Vaccinate them, killing them like this will only spread cruelty. There is no doubt that the problem of dogs is becoming acute. Not only stray dogs are becoming violent but even pet dogs often pounce on strangers coming around them. There is a fear of spreading rabies due to dog bites. The injections used to prevent the spread of rabies are very expensive and not easily available. Although there is a facility to administer these injections free of cost in government hospitals, in 70 percent of the cases these injections are not available in the hospitals. As a result, every year thousands of people die due to hydrophobia.
Stray and pet dogs are becoming a cause of trouble not only in Telangana but everywhere in the country. Every day there are reports of a dog biting someone or a road accident happening due to a dog. According to an estimate, the number of stray dogs in the capital Delhi alone will be more than 10 lakh. However, no counting of dogs has been done since 2016. Various measures have been taken to control these stray dogs but their number is continuously increasing. Now, after the instructions of the Supreme Court, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has taken some steps to sterilize the dogs and build shelter homes for them. A budget of Rs 35 crore has also been allocated for this. However, animal lovers call it cruelty of the government. He believes that dog is also a creature of this earth, hence it is not right to destroy it.
The residents of Delhi have again taken refuge in the Supreme Court due to the laxity of this program. The court says that their number is increasing due to feeding of stray animals. Why don't people who give bread to stray dogs take them to their homes? But film actress Sharmila Tagore said in the court on January 9, not all dogs are aggressive, then why punish them? He gave the example that there are many stray dogs in AIIMS, Delhi, they have not bitten anyone. The court reprimanded him on this. The court said, do not describe dogs as great. After this, on January 13, the Supreme Court said that whoever is bitten by dogs will have to compensate the concerned state government. The Supreme Court has asked the Solicitor Generals of the states to file their replies by 28 days.
However, there is nothing wrong in the insistence of animal lovers. This earth belongs to animals as much as it belongs to humans. Biodiversity should be respected. Apart from this, one should have compassion towards dogs, monkeys and cats. They are also living beings and the truth is that their home, their hunting grounds and their food sources have been taken over by humans. Only those who have compassion for life help the suffering people. Sunil Dixit alias Guddu of Kanpur goes to Maskar Ghat (Sati Chaura Ghat) located in the cantonment every morning since the Corona period and feeds bananas to the monkeys. He enters alone into the crowd of hundreds of monkeys. Monkeys sit on his head and shoulders but till date no monkey has attacked him. On the contrary, they queue up to collect bananas.
During the Corona period, Sunil Dixit performed the last rites of all those people who died due to Corona and whose family members were afraid to touch them. Not only this, Guddu never lagged behind in taking people suffering from Corona to the hospital and serving them. They feed biscuits to the dogs in the evening. His argument is also correct that all these living beings like dogs, monkeys, cats etc. together create this nature. If we are cruel towards them then they will also be cruel towards us. Today's modern civilization has made dogs cruel. Pollution has hampered dogs' sense of smell. Due to his physical deformity he becomes cruel. Government people should identify aggressive dogs, get them treated, sterilize them and keep them in shelter homes.
There is another example. Hindon Canal passes on one side of Vasundhara area of Ghaziabad. There was once a forest here, but today the forest has been encroached upon and slums have been built by outside laborers on the canal tracks. That's where they excrete urine and feces. The canal which was a source of clean water till 15 years ago is now full of filth. Now, as per the government rules, 220 feet of land on both the banks of any canal belongs to the Canal Department, hence even after the track, the Canal Department has 50 feet wide land. But every community has built its own temples on this vacant land. There is a temple of Sai Baba and also a Gurudwara here. There is a Buddha garden and some places are occupied by people celebrating Chhath. There is a Kali Mandir of the Bengali society and also of the hill society. There are also Shiva and Hanuman temples.
There is an 80 feet wide road in front of these temples, which is called Gurudwara Road. The entire Vasundhara is situated on the left bank of this road with a length of about 5 km. Innumerable stray dogs roam on this road, which survive on the bread of local residents. These dogs often get hit by cars passing at high speed on the road. There is a Patel Vatika on this road, which has been maintained by the local people. A track of about 750 meters has been built. This mud track is the lifeline of the local people. Because there are no parks in Vasundhara. There is an ideal park of just six acres for the population of about two and a half lakh people. In such a situation, Patel Vatika is an innovative experiment. Vinod Joshi lives in front of this garden, he not only cleans this park but his presence is also a boon for these dogs.
They bear the expenses ranging from milk and bread to their treatment for the dogs. The interesting thing is that he has not reared any dog but all the dogs on this street recognize him. They also know him and his family. Wherever his wife or daughter goes, a dog always stays with them. His wife says, these animals have unknowingly become our well-wishers. This is the dog's devotion to its owner. They also love everyone who loves them and protect them from any attacker. Not only this, dog is man's oldest friend. Till date no dog has attacked the person who gives it bread. The dog saves such a man even at the cost of his own life. In the film Mera Naam Joker, Raj Kapoor has presented a beautiful portrayal of the loyalty of man and animal.
Poet Gopal Das Neeraj's poem has been quoted in this film, Jaanhai! The groom is more loyal than the man, he is whipped, remains hungry, yet he does not attack his master and is a human being! The one whose wealth he eats, the one whose love he receives, the one whose song he sings, has a dagger piercing his heart. Ever since the history of human civilization, the dog has been present with it. Dogs accompanied humans even in the Indus Valley civilization. Pictures of bulls and dogs have been found in the excavations of Harappa and Mohenjodaro. Pictures of dogs and other domesticated animals have also been found in other remains of the Indus Valley Civilization. These paintings carved from terracotta are very old remains of human civilization. A bronze statue of Mohenjodaro also has a leash around the dog's neck, which indicates that it was a pet.
Apart from India, the civilizations of China, Maya, Egypt and Mesopotamia also have dogs and other animals, which are companions of humans. And there is evidence of the presence of dogs in Indian mythology also. They are also important in security, hunting and religious rituals. In the Mahabharata, when the Pandavas climb Mount Sumeru to ascend to heaven, a dog also walks with them. The condition of ascension is also that only anyone who has not committed any unrighteousness or sin in his life can go to heaven physically. While going to heaven, Draupadi is the first to leave her body, followed by Sahadev, Nakul, Arjun and Bhima respectively. But that dog walks with Yudhishthir and reaches the door of heaven. Yudhishthir rejects the chariot sent by Devraj Indra for this dog. They say that this dog is a virtuous soul otherwise it would not have been able to come here physically.
There is also mention of a dog in Valmiki Ramayana, which is attacked by a Brahmin without any reason. He comes to the court of Maryada Purushottam King Ram for justice. When Ram asks him what punishment should be given to the Brahmin, the dog says that make this Brahmin the Mahant of a particular monastery. Because in my previous birth I was the Mahant of the same monastery but due to my ego, in this life I got the status of a dog. In the Rig Veda, the oldest text of Indian tradition, there is mention of a bitch named Sarma, who helps Indra in finding his cows. It is said in Gita that wise people look at Brahmins, cows, elephants, dogs and those who eat dog meat with the same eyes. In the Puranas, the dog has been described as the vehicle of Kaal Bhairav, the fierce form of Lord Shiva. Dog is also worshiped in Bhairav Puja.
In Islamic tradition, a dog named Qitamir protected the people living in the cave. This dog stayed with these people during their long sleep. In Islamic tradition, dog's saliva is considered impure, hence there is confusion about keeping it. It is also said that angels do not enter a house where there are dogs. That's why Muslims don't keep dogs. In Christian tradition, dog helps the shepherds and guards them, hence keeping it is not prohibited. Despite this, the dog is an impure animal in Christian and Islamic traditions. On the contrary, in Parsi religion the dog is considered sacred. It has also been said to be religious, that is why Parsi people have a tradition of raising dogs and feeding them. According to Jataka stories, Gautam Buddha used to serve stray dogs. There was a touch of kindness in it.
In Jainism, it has been said to show kindness, compassion and affection towards all living beings. But there is no clear permission or prohibition regarding keeping a dog at home. However, feeding stray dogs was considered virtuous, not keeping them tied in the house. In Sikhism also there is a feeling of kindness and compassion towards all living beings. It is prohibited to bring dogs in Gurudwaras, but giving protection to stray dogs and feeding them is a good thing. Being cruel to a dog is considered wrong. In a way, the usefulness of dogs is recognized somewhere in all religions. This is the reason why even today dog is man's friend in every country. Even though efforts have been made to control the increasing population of stray dogs, no society denies their need.
