Don’t know who to blame: Father of infant mauled by stray dog in Noida

Rajesh Kumar and Sapna Devi, parents of the seven-month-old child who died late on Monday night after being attacked by a stray dog at a residential society in Sector 100, travelled to their village in Singrauli district, Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday as residents of the high-rise complex staged a protest demanding an end to the stray dog menace

Rajesh Kumar and Sapna Devi, parents of the seven-month-old child who died late on Monday night after being attacked by a stray dog at a residential society in Sector 100, travelled to their village in Singrauli district, Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday as residents of the high-rise complex staged a protest demanding an end to the stray dog menace. The couple was accompanied by their daughters aged 9 and 11, and son aged 5, along with their contractor Virendra Kumar who is also related to Rajesh. They were travelling in an ambulance provided by the private hospital where the deceased child was treated.

Noida, India- October 18, 2022: A Noida Authority van was sent to Lotus Boulevard Society in Sector 100 to catch stray dogs in the area. As many as eight dogs were captured by the officials, in Noida, India, on Tuesday, October 18, 2022. (Photo by Sunil Ghosh / Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

Lamenting the child’s death, Rajesh recalled the day he took leave from work to visit home in Phirauli village to celebrate the birth of his second son. “I sent my wife to the village when she was five months due so that my mother could take care of her and the other kids. At the time, I was working in Gejha village, Sector 93 as a daily wage worker earning ₹500 a day. I took leave for 15 days when my son was born in February this year to visit home. My father passed away last year and I named my second son Arvind after him,” Rajesh said over a phone call.

The family was living in a temporary settlement in Sector 128. Rajesh was working near Tower 30 of the Lotus Boulevard society on road repair along with four other labourers on Monday when the incident took place. “My wife came to drop off my lunch with kids around 1pm. I was being paid ₹400 a day and Sapna stayed back so that we could go home together and save money on multiple rickshaw rides. I was about to finish my work around 4.30pm when I heard my wife screaming at a distance. I ran to her and saw my son lying soaked in blood in the bushes with two dogs fighting among themselves away from him. We immediately rushed Arvind to a hospital,” he informed

“I don’t know who to blame for this incident. It was a stray dog which attacked my child and not anyone’s pet animal. We have grown up around strays and have witnessed many incidents where people have been bitten by them,” Rajesh said. “My wife lost consciousness upon hearing the news of our son’s death. She has been inconsolable ever since. What can be a bigger loss for a mother than the death of her child?” he added. The family was still on their way to Phirauli village at the time of writing this report. They plan to cremate Arvind on Wednesday.