A popular street dog named Boji was recently accused of defecating on the seat of a train in Istanbul in Turkey. Unlike other strays, Boji enjoys celebrity status among the residents of the city. He is known for riding public transport including buses, trams, metro trains and ferries on a regular basis.
On Saturday (November 20), journalist Bilge Ebiri informed that Boji was accused of taking a dump in trains. He pointed out that the dog was being framed and that the faecal matter was planted by a man. “Meanwhile, in Istanbul…A beloved street dog named Boji, who became a folk hero for riding public transit, was slandered by some for pooping on the trains. Turns out, Boji is being framed, and video shows people planting the poop,” Ebiri tweeted.
Boji framed, truth uncovered by CCTV camera footage
Murat Ongun, the spokesperson for the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, had emphasised that the dog was framed. In a video shared by Ongun on the micro-blogging site, a man could be seen placing ‘dog poop’ on a train seat. The video was captured by the CCTV camera, affixed on the train’s roof. “It was alleged that Boji had pooped on the tram. But the cameras showed us these incredible images, watch it,” he tweeted.
Boji’nin tramvaya kaka yaptığı iddia edilmişti. Ama kameralar bize bu akıl almaz görüntüleri gösterdi, izleyin. pic.twitter.com/xLnDH7cjOb
— Murat Ongun (@Mrt_Ongun) November 20, 2021
Political motives behind the bizarre act
After the truth was uncovered, netizens were left wondering as to why a man would try to falsely implicate a street dog. A Twitter user (@nonwashablegmer) inquired, “People are so f*cking weird. Like you really have nothing better to do than frame a street dog? At no point when this person was putting a handful of shit in their pocket was like, “You know what, maybe I’ll just go smoke a bowl and watch cartoons instead.”
Journalist Bilge Ebiri informed about the political motives behind framing a dog. “Istanbul’s Mayor is a key Opposition figure and the city has taken on Boji as a kind of ‘unofficial mascot.’ Making the dog look bad and the city look poorly-run would benefit the regime.”
Twitter account of Boji responds to allegations of ‘pooping’
The official Twitter account of Boji (@boji_ist) responded to accusations of him, defecating on a train seat. “I was at the cottage all day today, I didn’t even visit Istanbul. You polluted the tram and blamed it on me. You are bad,” the handle tweeted.
In another tweet, the stray dog had ‘expressed’ its embarrassment on seeing the CCTV footage. Boji boasts of a whopping 1.19 lakh followers on the micro-blogging site.
As per an article in CNN, Boji travels a whopping 30 kilometres on average each day. He passes through different metro stations and takes two ferry rides. The street dog is incredibly famous, prompting people to take selfies with him. He has been neutered and vaccinated. The municipal authorities in Istanbul keep a track of his movements using a microchip, attached to his collar.
