As the GHMC ordered an investigation into the incident, the menace of stray dogs came to the fore once again.
75% of stray dogs in Hyderabad have already been sterilised, says GHMC, as 4-year-old mauled to death. (Supplied)
Expressing grief over the death of a four-year-old boy by a pack of stray dogs on Sunday, 19 February, in Hyderabad, GHMC Mayor Vijayalaxmi Gadwal ordered an inquiry into the dreadful accident.
Meanwhile, social media was horrified as CCTV footage of the incident was circulated widely.
The victim was identified as Pradeep, the son of security guard M Gangadhar, from the Nizamabad district.
CCTV footage of the incident captured bone-chilling visuals of the incident on the premises of the car service centre where Gangadhar works.
“We are providing assistance to the boy’s parents. Animal birth control and anti-rabies injections have been allotted to each circle so that such incidents do not recur,” Gadwal said.
However, the cops have not registered a complaint in this regard. “We just did an internal investigation as we did not receive any complaint,” Amberpet Station House Officer Prabhakar H, told South First.
As per the cops, the boy was mauled to death when his father left him while working.
In the video, a pack of three dogs could be seen charging towards the child after surrounding him.
While the terrified boy tried to escape, the dogs closed in and pushed him to the ground. They then started pulling at his clothes as the child struggled to break free.
Every time he tried to get up, the dogs attacked him and brought him down to the floor. Soon, they overpowered him and bit him all over.
From the visuals, it appeared that Pradeep died on the spot. “The child suffered multiple injuries and was rushed to the HRT Hospital Amberpet. He was declared dead on arrival,” Prabhakar said.
In the presence of GHMC veterinary officials, Gadwal chaired an emergency meeting and stated that two officers and one vehicle for each circle in Hyderabad had been arranged to keep a check on stray dogs.
GHMC Mayor taking an emergency meeting with veterinary officials. (Supplied)
While noting that there are 5.75 lakh dogs across the city, she said, “Around 75 percent of them have already been sterilised. Along with the GHMC, five voluntary organisations are continuously conducting the sterilisation process.”
In the wake of the incident, veterinary officials informed the mayor that they had already identified 33 dogs and sent them to the GHMC Animal Care Center for observation, sterilisation, and anti-rabies vaccinations.
“Of the 33 dogs, 25 dogs have been sterilised,” the mayor said.
The GHMC officials claimed that 50,091 stray dogs were sterilised by them in 2020-21; 73,601 in 2021-22, and 40,155 in 2022-23.
Several took to social media to express their grief over the incident and demanded action from the authorities.
To all the dog activists….I will never hope this kid to be yours.
think before you go all out to protect stray dogs.
Nothing against dogs, but if they become menage and danger to lives, it is important that we do a rethink in our approach.
#Hyderabad pic.twitter.com/4hP3Qz9qUP— विष्णू सिंह (@_EkBharatiya_) February 21, 2023
The saddest part is, nobody knows the solution to this problem. Even if there was a solution, government won’t implement it fearing backlash from dog lovers. Sadly, Kids will continue to get attacked by such stray dogs. Extremely sad state of affairs. pic.twitter.com/48W1xteeq7
— Madhur Singh (@ThePlacardGuy) February 21, 2023
This is horrible … unbearable to watch. Someone should show this to courts and animal right activists. What is the fault of 4 year old ?
Stray dogs are a menace and they cause lot of accidents and such horrible incidents. Their population needs to be controlled. https://t.co/fLvYUKhvKX
— Sadaf Sayeed 🇮🇳 (@Sadafsayeed) February 21, 2023
No use, many have been preaching this for a long time. I feel that killing all stray dogs and neutering ‘dog activists’ is the only practical solution.
— Porinju Veliyath (@porinju) February 21, 2023
@KTRBRS No child should suffer such painful death. There are hundreds of stray dogs in Sainikpuri which makes it as dangerous for our kids as this Amberpet. Do we have any plan to control this menace ? #StrayDogs pic.twitter.com/GGKDSDbl3b
— Swathi Bellam (@BellamSwathi) February 21, 2023
Stray Dogs hv become a very big issue in every society. Courts have made stupid rule that you cannot remove them out of society.
If guards stops dogs, dog lovers and NGOs get start drama.
But nobody gives a solution for such dangerous incidents happening daily everywhere. https://t.co/PGB6Ofsnpw
— Ankur Singh (@iAnkurSingh) February 21, 2023
Stray dogs are pack hunters that will rip apart kids very quickly. They need to be euthanized as per @WHO guidelines which is the only solution to ensure public health and safety. @myogiadityanath @narendramodi @porinju @Vineeta2022S @TruConserve pic.twitter.com/GQJNoROLZ5
— Nature Conservancy (@NatureConserv12) February 21, 2023
The heart-wrenching incident has once again brought to light the stray dog menace.
This incident comes just about two weeks after another four-year-old boy, Ashirwad Macchar, was mauled to death by stray dogs in the Kareli village near Surat in Gujarat.
In January this year, over 80 people were hospitalised in the Arrah city of the Bhojpur district of Bihar after a stray dog went on a biting spree.
In another incident on 11 January in Hyderabad, a Swiggy delivery executive, Mohammad Rizwan, died after he fell from the third floor of a building in Banjara Hills after being chased by a customer’s dog.
Apr 19, 2024
Apr 19, 2024
Apr 19, 2024
Apr 19, 2024
Apr 19, 2024
