Hundreds of activists from across the country gathered at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar over the weekend to advocate for personhood status for animals. The fervent assembly, chanting slogans against animal abuse, conveyed a strong message condemning the exploitation of animals for human interests.
The activists, brandishing placards and banners, sought to raise awareness about speciesism—a prejudice that deems humans superior to animals. Messages on the placards emphasized the moral equivalence between the lives of different animals, with one activist, Muskan, stating unequivocally: “There is no moral difference between killing a dog and killing a goat or killing a human- they all suffer equally and feel the same pain”.
Muskan highlighted the lack of awareness about ghastly and inhuman “standard practices” in the animal agriculture industry, shedding light on the separation of mother and offspring in dairy farms, painful artificial insemination, confinement of cows and inhuman abandonment and/or slaughtering of male calves.
She drew attention to India’s significant role as a leading exporter of beef and leather, attributing this to the practices within the dairy industry. She pointed out the hypocrisy in a nation that calls a cow “mother” and then treats them worse than commodities.
The primary demand voiced by the activists was the acknowledgment of animals as sentient beings and the rejection of the term and treatment of them as ‘livestock’. They urged the government to grant legal personhood status to animals and called for a complete ban on industries where animals are exploited.
Deeksha, one of the organizers, expressed the need to recognize the basic freedom of animals that is their birth-right. She emphasized the absurdity of profiting from the suffering of these sentient beings and urged society to view animals as individuals rather than objects of pleasure. She also pointed towards the imbalance caused in climate change because of animal agriculture.
Responding to concerns about economic impact, Ashish Soni, another organizer, emphasized the importance of approaching the issue from the perspective of social justice. He drew parallels with the rejection of child labour, stating: “When there is a social justice issue, we should think from the victim’s perspective”. He also brought to light the need for the government to invest in alternatives to animal agriculture than continue with exploitation of animals.
The rally resonated with poignant slogans such as ‘Their bodies, not ours; their eggs, not ours; their milk, not ours’. Activists called for a shift in societal priorities, asserting that animal abuse and exploitation should no longer be overlooked, especially during election discussions, policy making and citizen action initiatives.
The event organizers concluded by urging society to confront the uncomfortable reality of animal exploitation and work towards a future where animals are recognized as sentient beings deserving of protection, care, respect and legal “personhood” status. A large scale march was carried out in Goa too.
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