Dog scare returns, two more attacks within 24 hrs
6yearold boy, 8yearold girl injured; latter critical in KGMU Trauma Centre
▪ LUCKNOW : Five days after a boy was mauled to death by feral dogs in Sitapur, the canine scare returned on Thursday with two fresh attacks reported in Khairabad and Machreta areas of Sitapur.
“The attack in Machreta occurred on Wednesday at 5 pm, in which a 6-year-old boy Abhishek was injured. An 8year-old girl, Sangeeta was attacked in Khairabad village early on Thursday morning,” said district magistrate of Sitapur Sheetal Verma. “Both the children were attended by doctors in Sitapur district hospital and later transferred to Lucknow for better treatment,” she added.
According to hospital sources, Sangeeta received severe injuries in neck and abdomen. Her condition remains critical. “Four dogs, three white and one black, attacked her when she went to attend nature’s call,” said Kuldeep Kumar, Sangeeta’s uncle, standing outside the KGMU trauma centre where she was being treated.
The condition of Abhishek, who received minor injuries, is said to be stable.
The district administration sent a team of forest officials to Machreta and Khairabad after the attacks. “According to villagers in both places, the attacks were by dogs. The team of foresters has been asked to identify the attacking dogs and catch them for sterilisation,” said divisional forest officer (DFO) of Sitapur, Anirudh Pandey.
Located 100 kilometres south of the state capital, Sitapur came under the spotlight following a spate of feral dog attacks on children. At least 12 children have died in these attacks since November last year. Six of the killings and over a dozen minor attacks took place in the district just last week.
Considering this, the district administration has formed groups of locals to make them aware about the attacks and devise ways to prevent them. An animal birth control (ABC) centre for dogs has also been set up as per the Supreme Court’s guidelines to limit the canine population.
Experts from Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) Bareilly have also visited the area.
The team is examining the samples collected to determine the kind of animal behind the attack. A study of their predatory behaviour is also proposed.
However, animal activists have accused the lax response of Sitapur district administration for the attacks. Lucknow -based animal rights activist Kamna Pandey, who has been vocal about the issue, claimed that ‘community dogs’ were not responsible for the attacks. “There must be proper investigation before reaching any conclusion on the kind of animal responsible for these attacks and the strategy to solve this issue must be based on that finding,” said Kamna. Members of her team reportedly visited the affected area last week.
Some activists have also claimed that instead of taking suitable action to curb the incidents, community dogs are being killed in the affected area.
However, DM Sitapur has categorically refuted such claims, saying, “We seek to address this problem of dog attacks in both short and long term. All the dogs caught from the affected areas have been sent for sterilisation and will be released in their original habitat post sterilisation. All this is being done while remaining within the purview of the existing laws and guidelines.”