Protest over stray dogs after baby dies in Noida

NOIDA: A toddler was allegedly mauled by stray dogs at Lotus Boulevard on Monday and died of injuries to his stomach and intestine, triggering protests by residents who accused the Noida Authority and owners' association of allowing the canine problem to fester, reports Anjali Singh.
The seven-month-old boy was with his father Rajesh Kumar, who was hired for road maintenance work in the Sector 100 society, and mother Sapna Devi when he was attacked around 4.30pm.
Sapna had brought him along to deliver lunch to her husband and had placed the child on a nearby bench. The family was eating when 2-3 strays fighting nearby apparently attacked the boy, Arvind, and bit him, according to Rajesh's account of the incident cited by Virender, the contractor who had hired him for the work.
The parents freed the boy and took him to Yatharth Hospital in Sector 110, where he died Monday night.
10 strays removed after protest, shifted to shelter
A day after the death of a seven-month-old infant at Lotus Boulevard in an alleged attack by stray dogs, residents set up roadblocks around 8am on Tuesday to protest against the AOA and the Noida Authority, which responded by sending a team of dog catchers to the spot, but some animal rights activists briefly resisted the move at the gates.
Eventually, around 10 stray dogs that were on the compound were caught and sent to an animal shelter in Sector 94. Rafat, one of the dog catchers, said the team had been stopped at the gates of the society but they managed to get in after some heated discussions.
Cops said they had filed a general diary under the Police Act. "We have also deployed security personnel at the society to maintain peace," a police officer said.
Contractor Virender, who had employed the victim's father and is a relative, said the boy's parents were the only witnesses to the attack.
There are no CCTV cameras installed nearby. The couple and their three other children have gone back to their hometown in Singrauli (Madhya Pradesh) for Arvind's last rites, he added.
Doctors said the child's condition was critical when he was brought to the hospital. "He had multiple wounds on his abdomen and thighs. The injuries were deep. The attendant told us the dog had dragged the child as well. We operated on the boy but couldn't save him," said Dr Ajit Kumar Singh, medical superintendent, Yatharth Hospital.
"The threat of stray dogs looms large on all residents of the society and a child's life was cut short because of it. There have been several dog attacks in the past as well. We've written to the Noida Authority several times to sterilise and remove the dogs from the society," said DV Yadav, vice-president of Lotus Boulevard Apartment Owners' Association (LBAOA).
According to rules, stray dogs cannot be removed from their territorial area unless proven to be dangerous.
Children living in the society also said they can't play inside the complex for fear of being chased down by the dogs. "One day, I was at our society shop when a stray dog came after me because I was carrying food," said 11-year-old Sarthak Bhardwaj.
Around 2pm on Tuesday, 50-60 residents gathered around a tower where a fellow resident, who feeds stray dogs in the society, lives. They alleged she had called the activists to stop the Noida Authority's team from catching the dogs. Rashmi Singh, who was among the group of protesters, said, "Some animal activists who came in the morning said it wasn't a dog attack, but an accident. We have raised the issue so many times with the Noida Authority and the AOA, but neither has done anything."
Chandani Khurana, another resident, claimed to have been informed that the boy was found in the shrubs and there were no dogs around him. "How are we so sure that the dogs attacked the child?" she said.
Noida Authority's officer on special duty Indu Prakash Singh said the team had taken the 10 dogs to the Sector 94 shelter and would take more canines to the shelter if societies flag a serious concern. "We are coordinating with residential societies and dog shelters."
At the shelter, the dogs will be kept for 10 days to see if they display any signs of aggression. "Since no resident has identified the dogs that bit the child, we'll see how these 10 dogs are reacting to others," said Anuradha Dogra, a volunteer.