After dog attacks, IIM-L clears the air on animal lovers’ accusations
: The Indian Institute of Management-Lucknow (IIM L) is facing a peculiar problem.
There have been over 40 plus “confirmed and recorded” cases of dog bites in last six months on the management institute’s 200-acre green campus, forcing the institute to relocate “rabid dogs”.
However, the move has drawn the ire of animal lovers from within the campus who have accused the authorities of being “insensitive” to animals.
“Children of residents too have faced canine attack,” the institute said in response to accusations.
“Only rabid dogs have been relocated. We are a caring community and have co-existed with animals for decades,” said professor Shubhda Arora, chairperson, CCMR, IIM L.
The institute authorities also said they have strongly advised residents to feed dogs only in designated dog feeding zones, that are located at a distance from residential areas.
However, the animal lovers who also are from the campus have claimed the dogs were being relocated since January and since the summer break, the pace of relocation has quickened.
“The activity seems to have full sanction of the administration as dogs are being trapped in nets and cages by the workers and staff of IIM itself. As this is summer break, there are very few students on campus to object to the activity,” said one of the animal lovers on campus.
Animal lovers have accused a powerful faculty member who is also on the board of governors of the institute of threatening students if they were to create a hurdle in the ‘dog free’ campus campaign. “Even alumni have been advised against speaking on the issue,” they added.
“If there are any dog-human issues they should be resolved in transparent manner with the involvement of student community. Instead of clandestinely picking up dogs during early morning hours and threatening students who raise their voice against it, the institute should follow the example of other institutes like IIM-Indore, who have managed similar issue in a humane and legally correct way,” they added.