Ghaziabad: Minor boy allegedly attacked by pet dog inside lift; video goes viral

The police said they have registered an FIR under IPC section 289 (negligent conduct with respect to animal) of IPC at Nandgram police station

An 8-year-oldboy was allegedly attacked by a pet dog inside the lift of a Ghaziabad high-rise, police said on Tuesday, adding that they have booked the woman who owns the dog based on a complaint filed by the boy’s parents.

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The incident, which took place at the Charms Castle apartment in Raj Nagar Extension on Monday evening, was captured on the lift’s CCTV, the video of which has since gone viral on social media. In the video, the dog lunges at the boy, while its owner does not react. While exiting the lift, the dog attempts to lunge at the boy a second time but the woman manages to pull it away. Police said the boy’s parents have forwarded a complaint against the woman, adding that they have registered a first information report (FIR) under Section 289 (negligent conduct with respect to animal) of the Indian Penal Code at the Nandgram police station.

While the complaint alleges that the dog bit the child, police said there were no major bites.

“It seems that the child did not suffer any major bite as such when the dog pounced on him. This frightened the child. An investigation is on in the case and details will be checked,” said Alok Dubey, circle officer (city 2).

“We have registered an FIR in this case and an investigation is on. The family of the boy approached police late on Monday night and the FIR was registered. The woman with her dog will be identified with the help of CCTV footage taken from inside the lift and suitable action will be taken,” said Nipun Agarwal, superintendent of police (city 1).

In her complaint, the boy’s mother said her son was returning home from his tuition at 6pm on Monday when the incident occurred.

“When he was in the lift he was bitten by a dog. He was crying and told me about the incident. I called up my husband. The woman was walking the dog in the basement of the high-rise and she did not tell us her flat number or her name. We shot a video of her and showed it to the guard, who told us that the woman is a resident of the same society. We called up 112, the police helpline number, but the woman did not come down and instead sent her family members,” the mother said in her police complaint, a copy of whcih HT has seen.

Ghaziabad Police said that the IPC section levied against the woman is bailable.

“We will soon identify her and take appropriate action. Arrest may not be made as the section is bailable,” said Dubey.

“We have issued an advisory to the residents to get their pets vaccinated and registered, keep them on leash and avoid using spaces having movement of people, preferably use muzzle for pets and avoid lifts having high movement of people.

Officials of the Ghaziabad municipal corporation said that they checked their records and found that the pet involved in the incident was not registered.

“The process of registration involves proper vaccination and upkeep of pets. In order to encourage this, we reduced the annual registration fee of ₹1,000 to ₹200. However, the number of registrations is still on the lower side. In this case, we found that the pet was not registered in our records. So, we have issued a penalty notice of ₹5,000 against the owner. We generally issue advisories and a list of general rules for residents who keep pets which they must follow. However, they are not legally binding or covered by any law or Act. We will again hold meetings with residents of high-rises and try to enforce the advisory,” said Dr Anuj Singh, the corporation’s veterinary and social welfare officer.

Meanwhile, members of several apartment owners’ associations (Raj Nagar Extension) alleged that instances of pets or strays attacking people generally take place in high-rises. “Once such incidents happen, there emerge two groups. One, who are against the animals while the others are animal lovers (including people who do not have pets but feed strays). Even if RWAs form rules, they are in the form of advisories and are not legally binding or strictly enforced with time. So, such instances can be reduced and minimised if people are more aware,” said Gajendra Arya, president of Federation of Apartment Owners’ Association (Raj Nagar Extension).

Animal activists on the other hand said that such incidents take place when pets are not properly trained.

“Many pet owners keep pets but they do not train them how to behave. This can be done with the help of trainers or online facilities. In absence of this, pets generally become aggressive when they move out of homes and more so when they see unknown people. So, it is better to keep pets on leash and try using a muzzle so that people nearby feel safe. However, it may not be possible to muzzle bigger pets. So, pet owners have to be alert and cautious when they take their pets out,” said Ruchin Mehra, animal activist and resident of Raj Nagar Extension.