Pitbull attacks 7-year-old in Ghaziabad condo, owner arrested

GHAZIABAD: The owner of a pitbull was arrested on Friday after the dog allegedly attacked a seven-year-old boy in a housing society in Crossings Republik and bit off his left ear and a portion of the hip.
The Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation had last year approved a proposal by a group of residents to ban three breeds of dogs — pitbull, rottweiler and Dogo Argentino. Following a spate of dog attacks on residents, the corporation had asked the owners of these breeds to get the animals registered in two months. Pitbull and the two other breeds are no longer being registered.
The owner of the pitbull that attacked Naman (7) at Chitravan Society was identified as Veerpal, a resident of the same society.
“I was away at work. Around 9.30pm on Thursday, my wife Neelam and son Naman were walking in the park. The dog was tied to a pole outside Veerpal’s flat on the ground floor,” said Chutti Singh, a driver with the UP Roadways.
According to the complaint, Neelam went inside her flat for some work. “Some neighbours informed her that our son had been bitten by a dog and he was oozing blood. She ran downstairs,” Singh said.
He alleged that Veerpal’s wife unleashed the dog when Naman got close to it. “My wife went to their house and sought help in taking my son to the hospital. But they misbehaved with her and threatened her with dire consequences,” Singh told TOI.
Veerpal’s son, Ashu, said a relative had kept the dog with them as he was away for some work. “It was the boy who provoked the dog. He hurled a piece of brick at the animal and kicked the plate of food. When the dog got aggressive, my mother tried to calm it down, but it managed to attack the boy. Nothing would have happened had the animal been left to its own,” he added. Ravi Prakash Singh, ACP (Wave City), said an FIR was registered against Veerpal under IPC sections 289 (negligent conduct with respect to animals) and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) . He was arrested on Friday.
The municipal corporation also issued a notice to Veerpal. “We have asked for documents related to the registration of the pitbull. If they fail to furnish the papers, a fine of Rs 5,000 would be imposed on them. In October last year, we had made it amply clear that pitbull and other such breeds would no longer be registered in the city,” said Anuj Kumar Singh, a veterinary officer.
The order by the corporation last October followed a series of attacks by dogs. On September 3, a 10-year-old boy suffered serious injuries after being mauled by a pitbull in a park. The boy, Kush Tyagi, received over 150 stitches on the face. Two days later, a 10-year-old boy was bitten by a dog in the elevator of a housing society in Raj Nagar Extension. Footage showed the dog owner talking to the boy while holding the leash tightly. An FIR was registered against her and GMC also issued a Rs 5,000 fine as the dog was not registered.