When Humanity Turns Its Back On The Voiceless

The recent Supreme Court verdict on stray dogs and the ongoing crackdown on pigeon feeding in Mumbai raise a deep, unsettling question: what kind of society are we becoming?

First, we took over the habitats of animals and birds, replacing open skies and green fields with concrete and steel in the name of “progress.” Tree cover that once offered shelter, shade, and life to countless species has been steadily erased in the name of development. Then, we restricted their presence in our “planned” spaces. And now, in a chilling turn, we speak of removing them altogether whether it is the stray dog from our streets or the humble pigeon from our balconies and squares. How human is this?

This is not simply about animals and birds. It is about the object-and-effect theory of law. The object of regulating stray dogs or pigeon feeding may be public health or safety, but the effect if driven by intolerance rather than humane science can be the silent removal of entire species from our shared spaces. That is not public welfare; it is ecological amputation.

Humans are not the strongest, fastest, or most enduring species on Earth what has set us apart for millennia is our ability to feel for others beyond ourselves. Compassion is not weakness; it is the highest form of strength. The moment we stop caring for the vulnerable be it a child, an elderly person, a wounded bird, or a street dog we step away from what it means to be human. Every living creature plays a role in the web of life. Remove one thread, and the whole fabric weakens. Neglecting or harming them is not just cruelty it is self-destruction.

Our Constitution, in Article 51A(g), places a solemn duty on every citizen: “to have compassion for living creatures.” This is not decorative language. It is a moral anchor. Courts, too, are bound by it. If verdicts and policies drift from this compass, we are not just endangering animals we are dismantling our own humanity. Court orders do not exist in isolation; they shape public narratives. And when that narrative is misplaced, people begin to live by it often with irreversible consequences for the vulnerable beings it affects.

India’s civilisational ethos is rooted in non-violence and co-existence. The principle of Ahimsa in Jainism stands uncompromisingly against causing harm to any living being. Hindu thought echoes the same: the Bhagavad Gita (5.18) speaks of seeing “a learned brahmin, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and an outcaste with equal vision” a reminder that life’s value is not measured by form or species. The Atharva Veda describes nature’s creatures as co-dwellers of the Earth, entitled to live freely.

Feeding pigeons, caring for stray dogs, and respecting urban wildlife are not merely sentimental acts they are expressions of an ancient covenant between humans and the natural world. To criminalise or stigmatise such acts without careful balance is to break that covenant.

Stray dogs regulate rodent populations; pigeons are part of the city’s micro-ecosystem, feeding raptors and cleaning food scraps that would otherwise rot in public spaces. Remove them abruptly, and you create imbalances that no civic policy can easily correct. This is why the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001 mandate humane, scientific population control, not eradication. This is why managing pigeon feeding should be about cleanliness and designated zones, not outright prohibition.

What is truly alarming is the precedent being set. Orders and actions against stray dogs or pigeon feeding can, if unchallenged, embolden an approach where constitutional duties are treated as ornamental, where compassion is framed as a nuisance, and where co-existence is sacrificed for control. Article 51A(g) was never meant to be symbolic. No citizen, no court, no administration is above the Constitution.

If we continue down this road, we will inherit cities that are quieter, cleaner perhaps but also emptier, colder, and poorer in spirit. We will have replaced living harmony with managed sterility, and in doing so, will have lost the very soul that made this civilisation great.

The answer is not to abandon compassion for control, but to harmonise the two humane stray animal management, regulated and hygienic feeding zones for pigeons, community education, and urban planning that leaves space for the non-human residents of our cities.

India will not be remembered for how efficiently it removed the voiceless from sight. It will be remembered or forgotten for whether it had the courage to live by the compassion it once taught the world.

Hitendra Gandhi is an advocate who is also vocal about animal rights and their well-being.

Published on: Tuesday, August 12, 2025, 11:34 AM IST