On 14th January, a 10-year-old girl identified as Alyna Lokapur died of rabies two weeks after being bitten by a stray dog in Bagalkot, Karnataka. Alyna, a resident of Sector 15 in Navanagar, was bitten by a stray dog on her eyes, nose, and cheeks. She was playing in front of her house when the attack happened.
Initially, she was rushed to a district hospital, from where she was referred to KMCRI Hubballi. She was admitted to KMCRI for treatment but failed to respond and succumbed to the infection.
Alyna was a Class 4 student. Her father, Rajasab, blamed the administration for not addressing the dog menace in the area. The residents of Bagalkot have expressed their anger against the local authorities and blamed them for not taking appropriate measures to curb the stray dog menace.
Speaking to the media, Deputy Commissioner Sangappa said that the local body would provide compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the family of the child.
On the day Alyna lost her life, another 2-year-old boy, Ruthwik Anand Kudure, was severely injured in a stray dog attack in Chikkodi of Belagavi district in Karnataka. Ruthwik was attacked by a pack of stray dogs near his house. He sustained deep bite wounds on his face during the attack.
The incidents have caused panic and concern among the residents. These incidents continue to happen as the Supreme Court of India is hearing the stray dog menace matter. On 13th January, a day before the death of Alyna, the Supreme Court remarked that no one was representing humans in the matter. The apex court came down heavily on dog lovers and remarked that the bench may direct heavy compensation to victims of dog bite cases, and the compensation will be paid by the authorities as well as the dog feeders. The matter will be next heard on 20th January.
OpIndia is doing a series on the stray dog menace in India which can be checked here.
