Mahatma Gandhi said “the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated” and German philosopher Immanuel Kant said: “He who is cruel to animals becomes hard in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals”. So how will you judge Bangalore that erupted in a frenzy of unbelievable brutality killing thousands of dogs?

Let’s recount the familiar. A four-year-old toddler was bitten by one of two stray dogs scraping over a bone. The bite proved fatal. Tragically, the little boy died. The media portrayed the incident as an unprovoked savage act of packs of ferocious stray dogs roaming freely in the city though it was a case of rare aggression by a stray with no intent to kill. A leading national daily’s headline screamed “Man’s worst foe”.

The municipal authorities in Bangalore ordered the culling of the entire stray dog population. It sparked off a dog-killing spree of unimaginable brutality. Strays and pets, pups and adults, sterilised and protected were all targeted. Acid was thrown on them, cyanide was injected into their hearts and their jaws were broken. Some were dragged, chocked, electrocuted or clubbed to death. One thought these actions belonged only to the Moran Market of South Korea.

A stray dog population is something every Indian city and village share. Animals share space with us. That is not a fact we should feel ashamed of. It is necessary for so many reasons that Delhi, preparing for the Commonwealth Games, does not repeat Bangalore’s approach at any stage. The media here has a role to play.

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