New Delhi, May 23, 2026 — Following the Punjab government’s launch of a massive statewide campaign to clear street dogs from public spaces, Bollywood actor and animal rights advocate Raveena Tandon has made an emotional, direct appeal to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Tandon, alongside fellow actor and humanitarian Sonu Sood, is urging the state leadership to execute the directive with empathy, structural balance, and strict adherence to humane guidelines.
The controversy ignited after Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced that the state would take aggressive steps to clear stray dogs from areas with heavy public movement. The administration cited a Supreme Court order that grants local bodies the power to clear public pathways and even deploy legally permissible measures—including euthanasia—against “dangerous, rabid, or terminally aggressive” dogs posing an immediate threat to citizens.
However, as ground implementation began, visuals of animal handlers catching dogs circulated online, triggering a strong backlash from conservationists, local feeders, and prominent celebrities.
Raveena Tandon’s Appeal: “I Sincerely Hope Better Sense and Humanity Prevail”
Taking to social media, Raveena Tandon expressed her deep concern over how the local administration might interpret and execute the removal drive. Known for her long-standing commitment to animal welfare and her frequent advocacy for standard sterilization programs, Tandon addressed the Punjab Chief Minister directly.
Tandon pointed out that historical failures by local municipal corporations to correctly implement the Animal Birth Control (ABC) rules are what consistently lead to high stray populations. She emphasized that penalizing the animals for structural lapses by civic bodies is both unfair and ineffective in the long run. The actor urged Chief Minister Mann to ensure that the allocated state funds are strictly directed toward building proper, high-capacity animal shelters, rather than allowing the drive to dissolve into a mass culling or displacement exercise.
Sonu Sood and Sonam Bajwa Join the Outcry
The movement gained rapid momentum as actor Sonu Sood released a heartfelt video message echoing Tandon’s concerns. Sood, who hails from Punjab, highlighted the deep bond that many local communities share with neighborhood street dogs, locally referred to as “Indies.”
Sood described some of the viral videos showing the street operations as “deeply disturbing” and cautioned against treating every street dog as a threat.
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The ‘Dupatta’ Campaign: Sood urged local animal lovers to put a collar or a colored cloth (like a dupatta) around the necks of friendly, vaccinated neighborhood dogs to visually signal to municipal catchers that the animal is monitored, fed, and safe.
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Aggressive Upgrades to Shelter Infrastructure: He called upon the AAP-led state government to rapidly construct scientific, state-of-the-art animal shelters where dogs can be properly rehabilitated and housed.
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Mass Adoption: The actor made an appeal to the public to embrace the “Adopt, Don’t Shop” philosophy, urging Punjab’s citizens to take street dogs into their homes.
Popular Punjabi and Bollywood actor Sonam Bajwa also questioned the state’s readiness, raising concerns about transparency on her social media platforms: “Where are the shelters? Where is the infrastructure to house these animals humanely?”
The Government’s Stance: Public Safety and the Supreme Court Order
On the other side of the debate, the Punjab government maintains that the intensive drive is a direct response to escalating public alarm over dog bites, particularly incidents involving young children and elderly walkers in parks.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann reassured the public that the government’s actions are entirely within legal boundaries. The administration clarified its strategy following the Supreme Court’s guidance on handling public safety risks.
The state government has emphasized that it does not intend to execute a blanket culling program. Instead, the focus is intended to be on removing dogs from public squares and placing them into structured care facilities. However, opposition leaders and animal activists like the BJP’s Tajinder Bagga have slammed the campaign, alleging that local authorities are twisting the Supreme Court’s actual order to rapidly clear streets without verifying if individual animals are genuinely aggressive.
The Path Forward: Finding the Balance
The human-animal conflict in urban environments remains one of India’s most complex civic challenges. While municipalities are pressured by residents demanding safe, bite-free streets, animal welfare organizations argue that mass relocation violates basic biological principles. When dogs are abruptly removed from an area, a vacuum is created, which is almost always filled by a new, unvaccinated pack of dogs migrating from neighboring regions.
Welfare experts agree with Tandon and Sood’s stance: the permanent solution lies in mass sterilization, consistent anti-rabies vaccination drives, and designated community feeding zones that keep dogs calm and integrated.
As the drive continues across Punjab, all eyes are now on Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to see how the state administration responds to the appeals from these influential voices, and whether Punjab can set an example of balancing public safety with genuine human compassion.