Aurangabad: Three from family booked after dog bites neighbour's guest

AURANGABAD: Three members of a family have been booked after their 'aggressive dog' bit a guest, who had come from Pune to meet his relatives residing in the apartment. The incident took place on Friday morning at 10am, in an apartment situated in Laxmi Colony of the Cantonment area of the city.
The complainant, Ramesh Khotkar (55), a resident of Vishrantwadi in Pune, was working with a Pune-based micro finance company, before taking voluntary retirement. Khotkar, along with his family, reached Aurangabad in the wee hours of Friday to meet an ailing relative.
In the morning, he, along with his nephew, went out of the apartment to get a photocopy of some documents. On the way back, while he was climbing the stairs to the second-floor based flat of his relative, the aggressive dog attacked him from behind before biting his feet. The incident left Khotkar with deep wounds.
Khotkar managed to somehow escape from the dog's jaws and ran upstairs. His agony did not end here, as it was after he was taken to the Government Medical College and Hospital for treatment, that he was informed that the hospital has run out of the required stock of medicine, forcing him to go to a private hospital and get treatment.
Cantonment police inspector Manoj Pagare said, "We have booked three members of the family that owns the aggressive dog." The complainant has alleged that the dogs owned by this family have attacked people and injured them in the past as well. The trio has been slapped with Indian Penal Code sections 289 (Negligent conduct with respect to animals) and 106 (right of private defence against deadly assault when there is risk of harm to innocent person).
In addition to this, sections of the Maharashtra Police Act have also been charged. Khotkar has also alleged that the family is intentionally keeping such dogs to settle scores with neighbours and they illegally carry out a business of selling pet dogs from their residential apartment. The complainant has alleged that even on earlier occasions, several people have been victim of dog attacks. The police said, while citing the law, that it is the owner's responsibility to ensure that his or her pet animals do not cause harm to anyone.