Protest erupts in Bhopal over Supreme Court order:Locals call the ruling unconstitutional and impractical as a large crowd gathers at Shahpura Park

A peaceful protest took place today at Rishabhdev Park in Bhopal. People gathered to oppose the Supreme Court’s order to remove stray dogs from schools, colleges, railway stations, and hospitals, and send them to rehabilitation centres. Many animal lovers, local activists, and social workers joined the protest. Swati Gaurav, the State Coordinator and Bhopal Unit Head of People for Animals (PFA), said the Supreme Court’s 7 November decision is impractical and goes against the existing Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules. Displacing dogs is against the law Swati said – Under ABC rules, no community dog can be removed from its area. If a dog is caught and released elsewhere, it is completely illegal. Old judgments also state that dogs cannot be impounded. Dogs from one street cannot survive on another street this is impossible for both practical and scientific reasons. For this reason, animal lovers gathered in Bhopal today to protest this order. We should also be heard in the hearing on January 16 Swati appealed to the Supreme Court that animal welfare organizations should be given an opportunity to present their case in the next hearing on January 16. She told Madhya Pradesh Chief Secretary Anurag Jain,
The rehabilitation plan to be submitted to the court in eight weeks should be based on reality. There are more than one lakh dogs in Bhopal alone. Does the state government have the capacity and budget for their rehabilitation? If not, dumping dogs in shelters without a plan will become a death bed for them. Swati further said, most deaths in the country are caused by road accidents, not dog bites. Government’s own figures state that 16–17 deaths occurred due to rabies in Delhi in a year. This number is extremely low considering the human population and dog population. This decision is neither constitutional nor scientific the court should reconsider Local activists involved in the protest stated that the Supreme Court’s order does not align with the country’s ABC policy, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, and the concept of co-existence. The objective of this protest in Bhopal was to convey the message that the solution is not to remove dogs, but to strengthen the ABC program, vaccination, and responsible administrative systems. This protest, held at 4 PM, concluded peacefully, where the demand for the protection of animal rights, human sensibilities, and constitutional values remained prominent. Activists say that there are millions of community dogs in the country and the decision to remove them is neither humanitarian nor practical. They believe that this order is also contrary to the scientific and legal process, which considers the Capture-Sterilization-Vaccination (ABC Programme) as the most effective method. Swati stated that today’s protest is a symbol of national solidarity. The objective of the protest is to draw the attention of both the Supreme Court and the government towards emphasizing sterilization, vaccination, community care, and law-based solutions instead of removing dogs. Supreme Court’s Order Strictness on Stray Dogs and Animals
The Supreme Court had ordered that stray dogs and animals be removed from public places like schools, colleges, hospitals, bus stands, and railway stations. The Court stated that captured dogs would not be released back into the same place, but would be kept in shelter homes. The Supreme Court had taken suo motu cognizance of this matter on July 28, when a media report mentioned cases of dog bites and rabies among children in Delhi. Now the Court has extended its scope to the entire country. The next hearing will be on January 13, 2025. Over 10 Lakh Street Dogs in MP
According to the National Health Mission (NHM) report, the number of street dogs in Madhya Pradesh is more than 10 lakh 9 thousand. Among these, the highest number of dogs are in urban areas like Indore, Bhopal, Ujjain, Gwalior, and Jabalpur, with over 6 lakh dogs present in these 5 cities alone. Bhopal has more than 1.5 lakh dogs. In 2024, dogs bit 19,285 people in Bhopal, while between January and June 2025, 10,795 people became victims. In Indore, 30,304, Gwalior 11,902, Jabalpur 13,619, Ujjain 10,296, and Rewa 1,131 people were victims of dog bites. The NHM report states that 6 cities of Madhya Pradesh have been included in the National Rabies Control Program. The goal is to make the state rabies-free by the year 2030.