- Ram Gopal Varma stressed public safety, especially children's, over street dog concerns
- He highlighted rising rabies, dog bite cases, and deaths in Delhi and NCR areas
- Varma criticised protests against Supreme Court dog relocation order as insensitive
Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma said there is no reason for anyone to hate dogs or any other animals, but the safety of people, especially children, is paramount. Speaking to NDTV, he said the problem and dangers posed by street dogs cannot be ignored.
His comments came even as he faces backlash over his flurry of posts, including videos, of dog attacks after the Supreme Court ordered the relocation of dogs in Delhi and NCR amid rising cases of rabies, dog bites and resulting deaths.
"People who have secure homes can afford to spoil their dogs. But on the streets, what people are going through cannot be ignored. The statistics on dog population, bites and rabies cases, and videos of attacks make it clear that children will be easy prey for streets dogs. There is overwhelming evidence of the harm caused," Mr Varma told NDTV.
The director said the only reason to act against street dogs, or even other beings like mosquitoes, coronavirus or a man-eating tiger, is because they pose danger to our well-being. "The priority is to save the children and anyone being bitten by dogs. Anything else comes later," he said.
The Supreme Court order on relocation of dogs led to widespread protests. Mr Varma said that the stand taken by dog lovers and the issue of street dogs cannot be mixed. "The protests show people walking happily, playing music. Is this how you protest? They are having fun while children are getting attacked and people are paying with their lives," he said. He added that it is easy to protest when their children are not under risk on the roads.
Asked if he supports the Supreme Court order, Mr Varma said that he is unaware of the logistics of the order, adding that many questions arise about building shelters, feeding those dogs, spread of disease, and the funds needed to fund their relocation and daily sustenance. "The government was supposed to do many things that it didn't do. I don't know how practical the Supreme Court order is, but it will stop the children from getting harmed," he said.
He also said that it is the responsibility of people to adopt street dogs, rather than being biased towards "high-breed dogs".
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