A five-year-old girl was mauled to death by a pack of stray dogs at Bhindran village in the district on late Wednesday evening.
The incident took place when victim Ashu’s father, a labourer, had gone to work and mother to fields for fetching fodder.
The dogs dragged the child to agricultural fields near her house and ate into her body.
When some passersby noticed that a child was being dragged by stray dogs, they tried to save her. They brought her to the civil hospital, Sangrur, from where she was referred to the Government Rajindra Hospital, Patiala. However, she succumbed to injuries on the way.
Sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Avikesh Gupta and deputy superintendent of police (DSP-rural) Sandeep Wadhera inspected the incident site and interacted with the parents of the victim.
“She was alone at home. When she came out of the house in the evening, five stray dogs suddenly attacked her and dragged her in nearby fields,” said Rashpal Singh, Ashu’s father.
“We have repeatedly filed complaints regarding the stray dog menace to the district administration, but no to avail,” said Gurnam Singh, a resident of Bhindran village.
SDM Gupta said, “It was an unfortunate incident. We will tackle the stray dog problem soon. If sterilisation is not possible, we will take some other measures to resolve the issue.” He said has written to the state government for compensation to the family.
{{/usCountry}}SDM Gupta said, “It was an unfortunate incident. We will tackle the stray dog problem soon. If sterilisation is not possible, we will take some other measures to resolve the issue.” He said has written to the state government for compensation to the family.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, health officials said around 1,900 people have been administered anti-rabies injections at various hospitals and clinics in the district from January to April.
7 sheep killed by dogs in Malerkotla
In another incident, stray dogs attacked an enclosure for sheep and goats at Malerkotla town in the district on Wednesday night. The owner of the enclosure, Mohammad Khalil alias Kala, said seven of his sheep were killed in the attack and several others injured.
Dr Mohammad Iqbal, in-charge, veterinary hospital, Malerkotla, said, “We have treated seven sheep, but seven others had already died before we reached the enclosure. The sheep were from a costly breed. He has suffered a loss of over ₹1.5 lakh.”
“As per official record, two cases of dog bites are reported everyday in Malerkotla on an average,” he added.