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8-year-old boy attacked by stray dogs in Ludhiana’s Tajganj area, residents hold protest
Demand permanent end to canine menace; deputy mayor says civic body’s hands are tied by law
In a shocking incident, an eight-year-old boy was viciously attacked by a pack of stray dogs without any provocation in Tajganj area.
As the CCTV footage of the incident started being circulated on Monday, the incident, which took place on October 30, invited protests from the area residents.
As per information, the boy, Ekam, was returning home alone after attending tuition classes. Suddenly, four stray dogs resting nearby attacked him, dragging and pulling him in different directions.
Hearing his screams, locals rushed out of their houses and rescued the boy, but he had already suffered severe bite injuries on his legs, arms and back by then.
He was rushed to Christian Medical College and Hospital, where he remains under treatment.
“Given the scale of injuries on my son’s body, I can’t even muster the courage to see the CCTV footage of the attack. He has been in immense pain, which breaks my heart. The civic body needs to take swift action so such incidents are not repeated. We are fortunate that neighbours rushed to my son’s aid or it could have ended in a tragedy,” said Ekam’s father, Amanpreet Singh.
He added that the stray dog menace in their street had not been tackled despite several complaints. “Senior deputy mayor Sham Sunder Malhotra told us there is no solution to the problem, as MC’s hands are tied by law. But, should the civic body continue to sit on its hands? The dogs attacked another child the very next day, but still MC took no action. The stray dogs need to be removed before they cause a casualty,” Singh demanded.
On Monday, area residents held a protest and raised slogans against MC authorities. They accused the senior deputy mayor of turning a deaf ear to the issue. A resident, Pritam Singh, said, “Malhotra even visited the area a day after the incident, but failed to provide any solution. The fear of stray dogs has forced people to stay indoors.”
On his part, Malhotra said, “The stray dogs don’t leave the area as some residents shelter and feed them. MC cannot relocate or cull the dogs as per the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. But, the civic body is already taking up the stray dog sterilisation project to rein in the menace.”
He, however, admitted that the project was moving at a snail’s pace and he will take up the matter with MC commissioner Pardeep Sabharwal.
Despite several attempts, MC senior veterinary officer Dr Harbans Dhalla was not available for comments.
Dog sterilisation stalled due to shortage of manpower
Meanwhile, amid the rising dog bite cases, the city’s dog sterilisation project being taken up at the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Centre at Haibowal Dairy Complex has come to a halt for want of manpower.
Work has been stalled since the last week of September, when the workers and doctor involved in the project left citing personal reasons. This is the second time that the project has been affected in the last three months. It was also stopped in August due to shortage of workers.
Since the project started in 2015, over 42,000 dogs have been sterilised to curtail their population.
An average of 35 to 40 dog bite cases are reported at the civil hospital on a daily basis. While 15,000 cases were reported in 2019, another 8,951 cases were recorded till July this year.
No let-up in dog bite cases
January 27, 2020: Four-year-old Viraj Kumar was mauled to death by stray dogs in Bahomajra village of Khanna
May 30, 2019: A six-year-old girl, Dania, was bitten by a stray dog in Sector 32 on Chandigarh Road
May 25, 2019: Mehtab Singh, aged four, was bitten by a stray dog on the cheek in Barmalipur village
December 31, 2018: A stray dog ripped off the finger of a workshop owner in Gurdev Nagar
December 5, 2018: Stray dogs attacked a four-year-old at Bhamiyan Road
October 2018: A five-year-old girl allegedly died of rabies in Sarabha Nagar after stray dogs attacked her
January 2016: A stray dog ripped off the ear of a 12-year-old boy when he came out of his school bus in South Model Gram area.
