Shoot-at-sight order for dogs is illegal, Maneka Gandhi writes to Rio

Esther Verma
Dimapur, May 26 (EMN): Member of Parliament and one of the leading animal rights activists in India, Maneka Gandhi, has written to Chief Minister Neipihu Rio, seeking the latter’s intervention in rescinding the shoot-at-sight order for dogs issued by some local authorities in Nagaland.

Gandhi, who is also the former union minister of Women and Child Development, wrote the letter on May 25.

By and large, her letter to the chief minister was prompted by a front-page Eastern Mirror report that highlighted the diktat as well as the subsequent furore it triggered among animal lovers in the state.

In an exclusive telephonic conversation with this newspaper on Tuesday, Gandhi reiterated that it is illegal to kill dogs in the country for any purpose.

Gandhi, in her letter, stated that this is the second time she has taken notice of the shoot-at-sight order issued in Nagaland, after last year’s incident in Tuensang.

“I am sure you know that dogs or cats cannot give, carry or get coronavirus. Corona has been raging across the world for the last six months with lakhs of people getting it. Not one animal has got it so far. There are thousands of people feeding street animals across India. Not one of them has got corona. Every doctor and scientist has given a statement that, after much research, it has been proven that dogs and cats do not give corona. I would be deeply grateful if you could see that this information is given to all the districts,” read the letter from Gandhi.

She asserted that the administration should not use ‘this as an excuse to kill dogs which can then be used commercially’.

When asked if the tradition of eating dog meat in the state would come into play, Gandhi reiterated that the food safety and standards authority of India (FSSAI) has a list of what is legal and what is not.

“The FSSAI decide what is to be eaten and what is not; and dogs are not on that list. Shooting at sight and eating of dog meat are both illegal,” said Gandhi.

Further, Gandhi informed that she has spoken to Chief Secretary Temjen Toy in connection with the matter.

According to her, the chief secretary has assured her to ‘implement the order in all district administrations at the earliest’.