Karnataka Government seeks amendment to law on killing dogs

Even as pressure began mounting on the civic authorities cull stray dogs in Bangalore in the wake of the death of a four year old boy mauled by a pack of street dogs, the Karnataka Government is planning to write to the Federal Government to amend the laws on killing healthy dogs.

A large group of Congress activists laid siege to the offices of Bangalore City Corporation on Friday seeking the resignation of Health Minister R Ashok for the failure of the authorities in containing the menace of street dogs, which had claimed the lives of two children in the last two months.

The ghastly manner in which four-year-old Manjunath was mauled by a pack of stray dogs in BEML layout in Bangalore while he was playing hide-and-seek in the locality has brought the failure of the civic authorities to eliminate the street dog menace under sharp focus.

The ferocious pack of street dogs had tore open Manjunath’s throat, which led to severe bleeding and eventually his death at Manipal Hospital, where he was rushed to minutes after the fatal attack.

The boy, who went to hide in a vacant area behind the houses around 8 am on Wednesday, attacked by the stray dogs, which were on the prowl in the locality. Catching the little boy in the neck with their jaws, the dogs dragged him across the open ground. An eye-witness said the last words uttered by the little boy were his cry for water.

He was taken to BEML hospital in the vicinity, but the doctors said they were in a position to handle the critical case. Though the doctors at the Manipal Hospital tried to save him, but their efforts went in vain as Manjunath was declared dead at 3 am on Thursday.

With more than 70,000 stray dogs roaming the streets of Bangalore, the civic authorities had begun an elaborate exercise to put rabid, violent and diseased dogs to sleep. But, animal rights’ activists had opposed the campaign and asked the authorities to instead illegal mutton and chicken shops, which attract stray dogs looking for left-over meat.

Now, the Karnataka Government is planning to urge the Federal Government to amend laws that prohibit the killing of healthy dogs, according to an official of the Health Department.

Health Minister R Ashok, who was mobbed by angry residents of BEML layout, cited the opposition to rounding up of stray dogs by the animal rights activists. “What are the animal rights activists doing? Why are they not letting us do our work?”, he fumed after facing an irate crowd before the funeral of Manjunath.

During the year 2006, a total of 12,980 cases of dog bites were recorded in Bangalore at the rate of 1,200 dog bites a month, said officials. During the year 2006, a total of 5,800 violent and rabid dogs were eliminated while 25,000 were sterilized. But, the threat to human life remains.

Many angry residents of BEML colony threatened to begin killing the street dogs themselves. “We should kill the dogs ourselves. We cannot trust the authorities to help us at all”, said Neelkanta, an employee of BEML.