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Delhiites gathered at Jantar Mantar to protest the Supreme Court's order for mass removal of stray dogs. Animal rights activists, artists, and residents emphasised coexistence and the street dogs' role in community safety
"Awara nahi, humara hai" was the sentiment of the Delhiites who gathered near Jantar Mantar on Sunday to protest against the Supreme Court's November 2025 order on mass removal of stray dogs from public and institutional premises of Delhi and their confinement.
Before the hearing on January 7, India4Animals, an NGO, took a stand for the voiceless along with artists and residents of Delhi who appealed to the court with their words, tunes, and chants to "say yes to ABC and no to shelter."
Placards and slogans pointed at various human rights issues
'Nobody is here to perform. they are here to speak'Calling for a peaceful protest, animal rights activist Ambika Shukla said, "Each person on stage today is a feeder, a rescuer, and an activist.
Mohit Chauhan (who was at the event) has dedicated his latest song to street dogs. He feeds 400 dogs every day. Nobody is here to perform – they are here to speak, express their hearts, and emotions."
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Echoing the message of coexistence and empathy, Mohit Chauhan sang his latest song, Meri Awaaz, a song dedicated to the voice of street dogs. He said, "I am here specifically for the protest. We are one with the animals, and we have to be their voice."
Shantanu Moitra (L), Mohit Chauhan (R) performed together at the protest
For the first time, I felt proud as an artist that I could lend my voice to a cause like this Shantanu Moitra who sang his hit song Give Me Some Sunshine at the event
Music composer Shantanu Moitra also joined the protest and shared his thoughts on coexisting with animals. "When I lived here in Delhi, I knew that women felt safe coming back from work because they knew the street dog in their gully. They didn’t feel safe with human beings, but they felt safe with that dog. We know that the street is their home. Sterilise them, follow the procedures of birth control, but then put them back and see how we coexist.
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Reflecting about the gathering, Ambika Shukla said, “It shows how many people are affected by this cause. People have said we will lie in front of those vans, and we will go to jail. But we will not let our dogs be taken away”
Gen Z makes their presence feltDhyan Foundation, which volunteered at the protest, is a pan-India helpline that takes care of stray animals. Vasudha Nagpal, a volunteer and pet parent, shares, “Gen Z participation helps because that’s what we want to teach – compassion, coexistence, and protecting the weak. You can't suppress or remove them – that’s not how nature works. It works in harmony with every living being."Reflecting on the participation by Gen Z, Ambika said, "Not only will participation help the cause today, but it is inspiring to see that Gen Z is giving direction to the country for the future. When the weakest are protected, everybody’s protected."
Rahul Ram, bassist of Indian Ocean band performing at the protest
Rahul Ram, bassist of Indian Ocean band, performed We Shall Overcome and Gar Ho Sake at the protest. "It's an unimplementable judgement because we don’t even have a number – a count of how many street dogs there are," he said while talking about the cause.
We speak on behalf of dogs today and they might think we are humansplaining but if they could speak, they would say the same while wagging their tailsManu Abhishek, a comedian
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