The national capital saw heightened tensions this week after the Supreme Court ordered the removal of all stray dogs from Delhi-NCR streets within eight weeks — a decision that triggered protests, police detentions, and fierce debate.
During a suo motu hearing on dog bite incidents, a bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan described the stray dog situation as “extremely grim” and said the decision was being taken “in the larger public interest.”
“Infants, young children should not at any cost fall prey to stray dog bites leading to rabies,” the bench stated.
The order directed the Delhi government to begin relocating stray dogs from public areas to designated shelters within six to eight weeks. These shelters — to be equipped for at least 5,000 dogs — must have adequate sterilisation and vaccination facilities, employ sufficient staff, and operate under CCTV surveillance to prevent any re-release of the animals.
Amid this, during a gathering at the Hanuman Mandir in Delhi's Connaught Place, animal rights activist Ambika Shukla, sister of BJP MP Maneka Gandhi, called rabies a "delicate virus" and invited severe backlash from all sections. Her comments were made during an interview with The Red Mike and went viral amid ongoing furor over stray dogs.
Speaking to the news portal, Shukla described rabies as “a mild, delicate virus” and claimed that washing a wound with soap could kill the virus. “If you wash the wound with soap, the virus dies,” she said, adding that any bite from a warm-blooded mammal — not just dogs — could potentially transmit rabies.
When asked why dogs were feared more than other animals, Shukla responded: “Because people think the bite goes into the blood and spreads. But rabies is a rare disease and it doesn’t spread easily. Dogs only bite to protect themselves. If you don’t trouble them or be cruel to them, they will not do anything.”
She went on to praise dogs as “man’s most loyal friend”, citing examples of them saving humans during earthquakes, guiding the blind, rescuing people lost in mountains, and even preventing robberies. “The only training dogs need is love. They don’t need any other training. If you beat them or shoo them away, then they will react,” she said.
Addressing recent fatal incidents involving stray dogs, Shukla claimed such cases were “very few” and suggested that children should be educated rather than removing the animals.
“Children should be made aware and told not to run when they see a dog. They need to be educated,” she said.
Her remarks triggered a wave of backlash online, with many accusing her of spreading dangerous misinformation about rabies, a disease that medical experts have repeatedly emphasised as almost always fatal once symptoms appear.
One social media user wrote sarcastically: “Hospitals should keep Lux soap instead of rabies injections.”
Another accused animal rights advocates of ignoring public safety: “These ‘animal lovers’ have nothing but contempt for the ordinary citizen — they do not see those less privileged as human.”
A person who had suffered a severe dog bite recounted: “Got bitten by a dog. It was a third degree wound. Washed it with soap. Applied Betadine for extra protection. For extra, extra protection, got anti-rabies shots five times! All this because rabies is a mild virus!”
Others criticised Shukla for making her claims with “such confidence” despite medical consensus to the contrary.
“Wow! Such misinformation with such confidence! God!” wrote one user.
A doctor weighed in, stating bluntly: “Ok, physician here. Rabies is NOT a mild virus.
Another doctor wrote, "Rabies is the most deadly virus, with 100 percent fatality once symptoms start. Activism is one thing. Talking nonsense is another.”
See some reactions here:
The Supreme Court’s ruling has split public opinion sharply. While RWAs and many people have welcomed the order, arguing it prioritised human safety, animal lovers called the directive unfeasible and inhumane.
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