On 14th August, a 22-year-old man named Ashish Yadav became one of the 17 victims of a series of attacks by a stray dog in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. Ashish was attending a call outside his house while walking casually when the stray dog attack left him in shock. The video of the incident has gone viral on social media.
⚠️ Disturbing Visual 📷
— Ajeet Yadav (@ajeetkumarAT) August 18, 2024
उत्तर प्रदेश के गोरखपुर की एक कॉलोनी में 3 दिनों के भीतर 20 से अधिक लोगों को कुत्तों ने काटा। आशीष यादव पर भी, जब वह अपने घर के बाहर घूम रहे थे, एक कुत्ते ने हमला कर दिया। डॉग अटैक की बढ़ती घटनाओं से स्थानीय निवासी दहशत में हैं। #Gorakhpur #DogAttack pic.twitter.com/K6bbutQwgz
The CCTV video was recorded at around 9:45 PM on 14th August outside Ashish’s house. Ashish, who is a BBA student, was walking casually attending a call. Suddenly, a stray dog came from behind and attacked him. Ashish tried to get away and managed to do so for a couple of seconds but the dog kept biting him. By the end of the attack, the dog bit Ashish on his leg, arm and mouth. As the dog ran away, Ashish’s family members also rushed out and Ashish was seen getting inside the house holding his bleeding face.
Reports suggest that Ashish was not the only victim of the dog’s attack. 16 other people from the locality were attacked by the same dog in under 60 minutes, including women and children. After Ashish, the dog attacked a woman who was returning home and standing outside her house. After that woman, the dog went on to attack two girls who were playing outside their home.
Ashish was rushed to the hospital for treatment. Notably, his father Vijay Yadav told the media that the district hospital was out of rabies vaccine when they went to the hospital.
The authorities were informed about the incident. When the media approached Additional Municipal Commissioner Durgesh Mishra, he said that he was unaware of the incident. However, he insisted there was a need for vaccination and sterilisation to control such incidents linked to stray dogs. He said, “We regularly run a campaign for sterilisation of stray dogs. An Animal Birth Control Center is also being built. Stray dogs are being caught and sterilised, and we run awareness campaigns for vaccination for pet dogs.”
Stray dog menace in India
In recent years, the problem of stray dogs has increased exponentially in India. Because of the unrealistic laws and unhinged love of the so-called animal lovers for the stray dogs without any responsiblity, the attacks on humans have increased. In an answer to the question posed by BJP leader Atul Gard in Lok Sabha, the government informed that there were 30 lakh dog bite cases reported in the country in 2023 alone and 286 people lost their lives due to rabies.
On 8th August, it was reported that an 18-month-old boy was hospitalised after a stray dog attacked him near Satavahana University in Karimnagar district. In the CCTV footage, the toddler, identified as Harinandan, could be seen playing with another child on the roadside when the dog pounced on him, inflicting severe injuries. The victim’s mother, who was nearby, rushed and rescued the child, chasing the dog away.
On 27th July, it was reported that 11, including three children, were injured in a stray dog attack in Kharar, Punjab. A 5-year-old was admitted to the hospital in serious condition.
On 10th March, a pack of stray dogs attacked and dragged a 5-year-old girl in Amroha, Uttar Pradesh. She suffered multiple dog bites before locals could rescue her.
