Compassion for stray dogs, but not for humans?
VB Editorial | August 15, 2025 |
The Supreme Court’s recent order to move stray dogs from residential areas to shelters has set off a storm of debate. For families who have suffered because of dog attacks, this comes as a much-awaited relief. But for animal rights groups, it is a hasty and misguided move. Rahul Gandhi too has spoken in defence of the right of stray dogs to live freely. Many argue that mute animals deserve to coexist alongside us.
But here is the difficult truth: compassion towards animals cannot come at the cost of human safety. Delhi alone records nearly 30,000 dog bite cases every year. Across India, more than 10,000 cases occur daily. According to UN estimates, India accounts for 35% of the world’s rabies deaths, with 18,000–20,000 lives lost every year. Most of these victims are children under the age of 15. Behind these numbers are heartbreaking stories — parents losing young ones to a disease that is entirely preventable.
The danger is not imaginary. In big cities like Delhi and Bengaluru, stray dog attacks are as frightening as the threat of criminals after dark. A lone youngster returning home late is as likely to fear a pack of dogs as an armed thief. In urban areas, stray dogs thrive on leftovers from hotels and roadside stalls, becoming bolder and more aggressive. They no longer live on the margins of society; they have moved into its very heart, sometimes turning ordinary nights into scenes of terror.
The tragedy is compounded by India’s weak public health system. Rabies vaccines and medicines are often unavailable, especially in rural areas. People tend to ignore small scratches or minor bites, not realising how fatal rabies can be if untreated. Last year, an inter-state kabaddi player, Brijesh Solanki from Uttar Pradesh, died after rescuing a puppy that bit him. He dismissed the injury as minor, did not take preventive medication, and paid with his life three months later. A para-athlete in Odisha, Jogendra Chatriya, also died in similar circumstances, along with another victim bitten the same day. Such deaths are not rare; they are frequent, painful reminders of systemic neglect.
Of course, this does not mean stray dogs should be eliminated. They have always been part of India’s ecological balance. But letting them roam freely in such large numbers, in a country with poor healthcare access, is an open invitation to disease and death. Without proper shelters, sterilisation programmes, and medical facilities, compassion alone becomes dangerous idealism.
And there is another question we rarely ask. Why do we show endless sympathy for stray dogs but not for the 15 million children who live homeless on India’s streets? Why do people see God in dogs but not in the hungry eyes of children sleeping at railway stations? Why is the killing of dogs considered barbaric, but the lynching of humans in the name of cows or religion explained away in silence? When society values the life of a stray dog more than the dignity of its children, we must pause and ask what this compassion really means.
The Supreme Court’s concern reflects the reality that cannot be ignored. Unless every child and citizen can walk safely on the streets, unless rabies medicines are available in every hospital and pharmacy, it is dangerous to romanticise the free movement of stray dogs. Compassion for animals is noble, but compassion that forgets humans is misplaced. In the end, compassion for stray dogs, but not for humans, is no compassion at all.
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Putin meets Iran's FM Araghchi, says Russia ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia
Moscow (PTI): Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday met Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hailed the Iranian people for fighting bravely and heroically for their sovereignty and said Moscow is ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia as soon as possible.
Araghchi, who held talks with Omani and Pakistani leadership before arriving in Russia, met Putin in St. Petersburg and thanked him for supporting Iran, state-owned TASS news agency reported.
"Russia is ready to do everything in its power to ensure that peace in the Middle East is achieved as soon as possible," Putin said during his meeting with Araghchi, which was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Revealing that he received a message from Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei last week, Putin asked Araghchi to convey his "gratitude for this message and best wishes for his health and well-being."
He praised the Iranian people for fighting "bravely and heroically" for their sovereignty, Iran's state-run PRESS TV reported.
"We really hope that, based on the courage and desire for independence, the Iranian people, under the guidance of the new leader, will weather this difficult period of trials and peace will come,” Putin said.
He also stressed that Russia “intends to maintain” its strategic relations with Iran.
Araghchi said that the world witnessed Iran’s strength in countering the US during the recent war, and that the Islamic Republic is a "stable and powerful establishment."
"With their courage, the Iranian people succeeded in resisting the US aggression and will be able to endure it,” he said.
He said that it became clear that Iran has “great friends and allies” like Russia, and conveyed “warmest greetings” from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian to the Russian leader.
Araghchi said relations between Moscow and Tehran represent a “strategic partnership at the highest level” and will continue to develop "regardless of circumstances."
"We are grateful to you for the solid and strong positions in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.
Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the talks between President Putin and the Iranian Foreign Minister were "useful and constructive."
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that Russia is "ready to provide any good offices, any mediation services that are acceptable to the parties."
"We will be ready to do everything so that ultimately peace ensues, guaranteed peace, and that there is no return to hostilities," Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS.
He was asked how Moscow can assist in future negotiations on the Iranian settlement.
Araghchi arrived in Russia after his whirlwind trip to Islamabad, which, according to him, was “very productive” and involved “good consultations" with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, amid uncertainty over the second round of peace talks to resolve the war in West Asia.
"We held good consultations with our friends in Pakistan. The trip was successful. We assessed the outcome of our recent (meetings) and discussed in what direction and under what conditions talks can move on,” Araghchi said in a video posted on his Telegram channel upon his arrival in St Petersburg.
Referring to the second round of talks between the US and Iran to resolve the conflict in West Asia, Araghchi said: "Developments have taken place in the negotiations."
"Despite some progress in earlier rounds, the talks failed to reach their objectives due to the Americans' approach, the excessive demands they made, and the wrong approaches they adopted. Therefore, it was necessary to consult with our friends in Pakistan to review the latest situation,” Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.
He said that the trip to Pakistan was a good opportunity to review developments related to the US-Israeli war against Iran, expressing confidence that “these consultations and coordination between the two countries will be highly significant.”
Araghchi arrived at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport early Monday, where he was welcomed by Russian officials and Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, the report said.
The first round of peace talks between Iran and the US, held on April 11 and 12, failed to bring the desired result for the parties to the conflict.
The Iranian minister arrived in Islamabad for the second time on Sunday after a short visit to Oman, where he held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on security in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-US conflict.
After Araghchi left Pakistan for Oman on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would no longer be going to Islamabad for talks with Iran, contending that Washington held all the cards on the matter.
Trump on Sunday reiterated that the US and Iranian officials can talk by phone for a peace solution to the conflict.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The war began when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders. The retaliation by the Islamic Republic extended the war to the entire Gulf region.
