Losing kids to stray dogs, villages press SOS button

Jagraon and Khanna: In some of heart-wrenching stories surfacing mostly from villages in Jagraon and Khanna (twin towns in Ludhiana district) highlighting the terror of stray dogs, several families, who have lost their dear ones to the menace, have been forced to take extreme safety measures.
Stricken by a brutal incident, a family of one of the victims has even migrated from their village to a “safer” area. There is another family which has started a vigil to ensure safety of their dear ones. Then there are others, who have somehow survived dog attacks, who have almost stopped going out in the night.
In a case that sent shockwaves in Khanna, a pack of stray dogs had mauled a four-year-old Viraj Kumar to death at Bahomajra village on January 26.
Viraj’s mother Sharda Devi, who worked in a rag collection unit, said the incident left them traumatized and terrorized, forcing the family to shift from Bahomajra to Kauri area. She said the decision was taken as they didn’t want her differently-abled daughter Kiran Kumari, a class V student, and 11-year-old son Vikas, a Class IV student, to meet the same fate.
Sharda recalled the fateful evening when her children were playing outside and she was washing clothes when a pack of stray dogs attacked Viraj. She said it happened so quickly that they had no time to react.
As she narrated the incident, tears flowed down the cheeks of her son Vikas who said he will never be able to forget what had happened with his brother. Shardha said the government must do something to tackle the problem that has become life threatening for small children.
Meanwhile, an area resident cited accidents on the Ludhiana-Delhi highway as one of the reason for the spike in the stray dog problem.
“The vehicles hit the stray cattle during night hours and then dogs feed on the carcasses. And they attack humans when they fail to find food. The problem is severe in many villages, including Bahomajra, Bija, Kaddon, Daheru, Bhamaddi, Naulri and Libra,” said Raj Kapoor, an area resident.
Family of another victim — 12-year-old Simran in Naulri Khurd area who was mauled to death by stray dogs — is living in fear. “We had heard about the Bahomajra incident wherein a boy was mauled to death, but didn’t expect that our own daughter will fall prey to stray dogs even as we had asked our children to be vigilant,” a visibly shattered Utma Devi, mother of Simran, said.
“Since that day, we are living in fear, but we cannot shift from this place as we cannot afford rent. Now my husband Jugal and son Preetam (14) maintain vigil and carry lathis to resist any such attack by stray dogs. My other two sons Rohan (5) and Vijay (4) and three daughters are too small to tackle such brutal attacks,” Utma added.
“She was my only child who was getting educated and we had dreams for her, but everything ended in a flash of a moment. I expect the government to do something about the problem so that no child falls prey to stray dogs again,” she said.
While the family was talking to this correspondent, Preetam and his sister picked up sticks all of sudden and ran after a stray dog, which was visible at a distance.
In the same village, 74-year-old Malkeet Singh said the incident has caused panic and anxiety not only in the village, but also in the neighbouring areas.
“I have two grandsons Gurjot and Dharamvir Singh who study in Class V. After this incident, we don’t allow them to go out alone. Fear has gripped the area, especially in families which have small children,” said Malkeet.
In neighbouring Badi Naulri village, 65-year-old Kewal Singh said the problem is severe in their village too.
“In our village only, there are at least 50 stray dogs who have become a threat to small children. After the recent incident, there is fear in the area,” shared Kewal, a shopkeeper.
Villagers in other areas said the stray dog problem has become alarming in many villages of Jagraon, Samrala, Machhiwara, Doraha, Khanna and Payal areas.
Close shave
At Akhara village in Jagraon, 11-year-old Veerpal Singh, shared his story on how he was almost killed by stray dogs. Following the incident, his sister and younger brother accompany him on most occasions when he goes out.
“I was dragged by stray dogs to old carcass ground and then started feeding on my head. Hearing my cries, a villager who was passing through the area, alerted other villagers and they rescued me,” said Veerpal, showing injury marks on the left side of his head.
A villager asking not to be named said as the boy belonged to a poor family, villagers chipped in with funds for his treatment. The boy was lucky to survive the incident.
7,619 dog bite cases
RTI activist Rohit Sabbarwal said a data obtained through an RTI had revealed that 7,619 dog bite cases were reported at the civil hospital between January 1, 2018, and March 31, 2019. He said the number also included cases within the MC limits. Civil hospitals in Jagraon, Khanna, Samrala, Raikot areas too must be getting dog bite cases, he felt.
Sterilization process lacks pace
Acting deputy commissioner Iqbal Singh said in city, the municipal corporation has been entrusted to address the issue, while the administration is making efforts in villages. He said the sterilization of stray dogs is being carried out and villagers should get stray dogs sterilized to check the problem.
However, the district administration officials admitted that the process of sterilization is slow. In a day, only 3-4 dogs could be sterilized which are kept for two to three days under observation. They said besides, the government has constituted a committee to explore a strategy to deal with the menace.