Image used for representational purposes only
HYDERABAD: After seeking the opinion of legal experts, the Amberpet police on Friday registered a case into the death of a four-year-old boy, Pradeep, in an attack by a pack of stray dogs. The case has been registered under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), which is invoked in cases of death by natural or suspicious means. If there is any suspicion surrounding the death, it is considered suspicious murder under the same section.
“However, medical reports in the boy’s case clearly state that his death was caused by a pack of stray dogs and not by any suspicious activity. As a result, the case is closed, and the cause of death is taken into cognizance,” East Zone DCP Sunil Dutt said.
However, High Court Advocate Uday Kanth believes that the government should be held accountable for the incident. In addition to the Sec 174 CrPC case, he argues, a case of negligence should also be registered against the civic authorities.
He said, “While the dogs are responsible for the boy’s death, the municipal corporation and the concerned zonal authority are responsible for the dog menace. They clearly did not perform their duty to control the number of stray dogs on the roads, which resulted in a brutal attack on the boy. Police should also investigate the scene, review CCTV footage, and summon neighbours or witnesses to confirm that the dogs were the sole cause.”
Kanth said prevention is better than cure and that the municipal corporation should follow a standard policy to ensure safety. “The municipal commissioner should regularly conduct inspections in residential areas,” he said.
However, the civic authorities did not perform these tasks, resulting in numerous stray dogs on the roads. As a result, the municipal corporation and the government should be held accountable for the incident.
‘GHMC also responsible’
The civic authorities did not perform these tasks, resulting in numerous stray dogs on the roads. As a result, the municipal corporation and the government should be held accountable for the incident.
7 goats killed, infant injured in separate dog attacks
The street dog menace continues to persist in the erstwhile Khammam district. On Friday, about seven goats were killed and two others went missing after an attack by street dogs in JK Colony of Yellandu town. In a separate incident, a 16-month-old baby was injured in Jagannadhapuram village, Palvoncha mandal, when another street dog attack her. Pasi Shankar, who rears goats for a living said that he kept the goats tied in a shed near his house. On Friday, while Shankar’s wife was guarding the shed, she left momentarily to eat lunch at their house.
During that time, around 10 to 12 street dogs entered the shed and killed seven goats on the spot, and took away two others. Shankar said that he suffered a loss of more than Rs 1,00,000 in the stray dog attack. He later filed a case with the police. In another incident, a 16-month-old baby was injured in a street dog attack in Jagannadhapuram village, Palvoncha mandal. The baby was attacked by a dog while she was playing outside her house. She suffered an injury on her hand. She was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.
