Pack of stray dogs maul second boy to death in a week in Ludhiana
Was playing outside his house when the stray dogs that feed on village’s carcass ground attacked him; earlier on January 5, Arjun Kumar, 10, fell prey to the stray dogs at Hasanpur.
A pack of stray dogs mauled a 11-year-old boy, Harsukhpreet Singh, to death at Hasanpur village of Mullanpur Dakha in Ludhiana on Saturday morning. This is the second such incident in the village this week as the dogs had mauled 10-year-old Arjun Kumar to death on January 5.
Enraged over repeated such incidents, villagers blocked the Ludhiana-Ferozepur Road for atleast two hours before the police pacified them. The villagers demanded shifting of the carcass ground and removal of stray dogs from the village. Commuters were harried a lot due to blockade.
Dakha deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Varinder Singh Khosa confirmed the incident.
Harsukhpreet, a student of Class 5, was the only child of his parents. His father is a small-time farmer.
DSP Khosa said the family lives on the periphery of the village and their house does not have a boundary wall. Harsukhpreet was playing outside the house when the dogs, which feed on the village’s carcass ground nearby, attacked him. His parents rushed to his rescue but in vain. The dogs relented only after more villagers joined in and rushed the boy to hospital, where he was declared brought dead.
The villagers expressed concern over the attacks by stray dogs on children. Gurmukh Singh, a villager, said: “Children are vulnerable. The carcass ground should be shifted, or these dogs should be taken away.”
Earlier on January 5, Arjun Kumar, 10, fell prey to the stray dogs at Hasanpur. He lived with his family in makeshift huts outside the village. While playing outside his house, he noticed a kite and ran to catch it with two friends. The chase led him to an open plot near the village cremation ground, where the dogs attacked him. Terrified, Arjun’s friends ran back to the village but were too scared to inform anyone about what had happened. It was only when a passer-by noticed Arjun’s body that the villagers were alerted.
Rights panel takes note
The Punjab state human rights commission (PSHRC) took suo motu cognisance of the incident and chairperson Justice Sant Parkash called for a report from the Ludhiana municipal corporation commissioner and deputy commissioner. The report is to be submitted a week before the next hearing on March 4.