Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has ignited fierce debate on social media following a blunt 10-point post addressing what he describes as the “selective compassion” of dog lovers upset with the Supreme Court’s August 11, 2025 directive to remove stray dogs from public spaces in Delhi-NCR. The ruling came after a sharp rise in dog attacks, including the tragic death of a 13-year-old boy in Samastipur, and re-focused national attention on India’s ongoing stray dog crisis.
In his characteristically unfiltered style, Varma laid out his arguments in a tweet thread, questioning why public empathy so often favors animals over human victims. “You weep for dogs, but not for dead humans… I never knew sympathy can be so selective,” he wrote, bluntly criticizing what he views as urban elitism and virtue signaling from pet lovers who are insulated from the harsh realities faced by vulnerable communities.
A key point Varma made was the class divide—“Rich people pet high breeds. Poor people get mauled and killed by strays”—drawing attention to how public safety becomes a privilege in gated communities while the urban poor face the brunt of stray dog attacks. This aligns with growing public discourse on how India's 60 million+ stray dog population is inadequately managed, largely due to underfunded municipal programs and the ineffectiveness of the 2001 Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules.
He also challenged the moral stance of animal rights advocates, asking, “If a man kills, he’s a murderer. If a dog kills, you call it an accident?” and urged dog lovers to adopt stray dogs rather than preach compassion from the sidelines: “Why don’t you take them off the streets and adopt them all? Or is it because they’re low-bred, dirty, disease-oriented?”
Beyond the human cost, Varma pointed out a less-discussed ecological angle—stray dogs not only attack people but also threaten endangered species, such as India’s golden langur, a fact supported by a 2025 study from the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE).
While many criticized the filmmaker for his tone and perceived insensitivity, others praised him for saying what many are afraid to voice—that compassion should not come at the cost of human safety or ecological balance.
As India's urban centers continue to struggle with balancing animal rights, public safety, and ethical governance, Varma's post—however provocative—puts the spotlight on uncomfortable but necessary questions surrounding the stray dog crisis.
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