Man attacked by pack of dogs in south Delhi; residents hold protest

They blame dog lovers for growing menace; 8 strays caught by civic body squad

A 50-year-old man walking towards his home after parking his car was attacked by a pack of dogs in the middle of the night in south Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar on Saturday. The incident was caught on CCTV cameras installed in the locality.

The residents of the area staged a protest on Monday after CCTV footage of the incident was posted on WhatsApp group of the residents’ welfare association (RWA).

Scared residents

“I accompany my children when they go for coaching classes in the evening or when they walk home after the school bus drops them. A number of residents are doing this because of fear of stray dogs in the locality,” said Suman Sethi, a resident.

The victim, Suresh, a businessman, was walking towards his house on the main road of N Block in Lajpat Nagar when at least six street dogs pounced on him. He fell on the road and the dogs bit him all over his body. A watchman saw the attack and chased away the dogs with a stick and rescued Mr. Suresh.

Vice-president of Lajpat Nagar-IV RWA Devender Handa said the incident has raised safety concern among people coming late from office and motorists passing through the area. The protest was called against the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) and dog lovers who are opposing dog catching squad in the area.

“More than 100 incidents of dog attacks have been reported in November. The residents have filed numerous complaints with the SDMC but every time the dog lovers intervene and with the help of NGOs working for the welfare of animals and stop the dog catching squad. The residents held a meeting with the dog lovers too and explained to them their safety concerns,” said Mr. Handa.

Prompt action

The dogs lovers agreed to their demand and with the help of SDMC eight dogs were caught on Monday. The operation will continue for some more days until dangerous dogs are caught by the squad, said Mr. Handa.

A senior SDMC official said the dogs would be kept under observation to determine what course of action has to be taken, whether deworming would have to be done. An official from the veterinary department said that under the Animal Birth Control Guidelines, stray dogs are routinely caught and sterilised and then released in the same area.