‘In Nuh village, 32 people injured in stray dog attacks past 15 days’

Residents report higher injury numbers than official data. Joint teams deployed, victims given anti-rabies shots, and compensation decision is pending.

At least 32 people, including seven women and five children, have been critically injured after they were mauled by a pack of stray dogs in Nai village of Punhana subdivision in Nuh over the past fortnight, residents and local leaders said on Wednesday. The official count provided by authorities, however, stands at 16, though they acknowledge the actual number may be far higher.

(Representative image) Villagers say attacks intensified in recent days. Several victims, including children, suffered severe facial and head injuries. (HT Archive)

Authorities have made public announcements using loudspeakers in Nai and neighbouring villages asking residents to keep women and children indoors until the dogs involved in the attacks are caught, amid fears that some may be infected with rabies.

Officials said Nai is the epicentre of the attacks, but alerts have also been issued in Jamalgarh, Hassan and Dudholi villages as a precautionary measure. Joint teams of the health, forest and animal husbandry departments have been formed to catch the dogs, though none have been trapped so far.

Villagers said the attacks have intensified over the past five days, with children among the worst affected. Farman Hussain, 32, a Nai resident, said his four-year-old cousin sister Sana was critically injured on Friday evening when she was attacked by a dog outside her residence.

“Suddenly, a dog mauled her. She has sustained severe bite wounds on her head, thigh and calf of the right leg. Her right cheek has got torn. She is in bad shape and has received eight stitches for her wounds,” Hussain said. He added that Sana’s mother, Tarmina, rushed out after hearing her screams. “It took almost five hours for the bleeding to stop from the deep bite wounds even after they were treated,” he said.

Rafique Khan, 35, another villager, said his four-year-old son Adnan was attacked by dogs on Saturday. “He has sustained multiple bite wounds on his head and face. He is still under treatment at the Shaheed Hassan Khan Mewati Government College and Hospital at Nalhar in Nuh,” Khan said. He added that doctors stitched the wounds on Adnan’s head but left facial wounds untreated for now, advising plastic surgery later.

Nai village sarpanch Saddam Hussain said the stray dog population has increased tremendously in recent months. “Two to three of the dogs are extremely aggressive. We fear if they are infected with rabies, it may spread to other dogs too. Of the 32, injured, at least seven are women and five are children,” he said, adding that some cattle have also been mauled.

No dog bite incidents had been reported in the village earlier, according to villagers and officials. They said the attacks began only about a fortnight ago, following the sudden appearance of a pack of “unusually aggressive stray dogs in the area.”

In response to the recent attacks, Kunwar Aditya Vikram, Punhana sub-divisional magistrate, said the official count of injured villagers stands at 16, though the actual number may be as high as 30. “Victims have been treated at primary health centres and at the government hospital in Nalhar. They have been administered tetanus and rabies shots,” he said, adding that health officials have been directed to monitor victims for rabies symptoms.

Vikram said that a joint team of forest, animal husbandry and dairying and health department have been formed to catch the dogs, two of which are suspected to be infected with rabies.

Officials said anti-rabies vaccines and rabies immunoglobulin are adequately available at all government hospitals in Nuh, ensuring that victims of dog bites can receive timely post-exposure treatment without shortages.

Officials said the district administration is yet to take a call on compensation or relief for injured victims and their families, adding that a decision on this aspect is expected within the next few days.

Meanwhile, Kapil Singla, Punhana block development and panchayat officer, said the hilly Aravalli terrain near the Rajasthan border has made it difficult to locate and catch the dogs. “Teams are continuously on alert, and we are taking help from villagers,” he said.