On 28th September, a 72-year-old man was mauled to death by a pack of stray dogs in Subeha Police Station area of Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh. The victim has been identified as Dayaram Rawat. As per media reports, Rawat was known to feed the same dogs every day. The incident occurred in Haidergarh. He was later found lying in the fields in a severely injured state.
According to the officials, the victim was dragged by around 10 stray dogs away from his home and bitten all over before he was found by the locals. He was rescued and rushed to the hospital from where he was referred to Ram Manohar Lohiya Hospital in Lucknow. Despite medical attention, Rawat succumbed to his injuries on 29th September in the morning. His family members were not at home when the incident took place.
Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Haidergarh, Rajesh Vishkarma, said that villagers first heard cries for help early on Sunday morning. He said, “When they reached the spot, they found dogs hovering around an elderly man; some were biting him. His body was found away from his cot, suggesting he may have been dragged there.”
Rawat used to live in a hut around 300 metres away from the main village. This was the first time such an incident was reported in the region. Authorities have directed panchayat officials to conduct checks for stray and aggressive dogs in nearby villages.
The tragedy comes at a time when the Uttar Pradesh government has issued fresh guidelines for managing stray dogs in line with a recent Supreme Court judgment. Officials admit, however, that preventing such incidents in rural areas remains extremely challenging.
OpIndia is doing a series on Stray Dog Menace that can be checked here.
