Near-fatal attack on couple who fed strays dogs at HAL

Feeding stray dogs proved near fatal for a couple in HAL, who were attacked by a gang of youths living next door in L B Shastri Nagar on Sunday afternoon. The woman, who suffered head injuries, was shifted to a local hospital.

The couple, Ranjit Joseph and Steffy Chen, have been taking care of the stray dogs in the area for the past three years. But their neighbours, who would often return home late in the night on their bikes, did not share this love for dogs. A few strays chasing their bikes only made matters worse.

On Sunday, at about 3 pm, Joseph was walking his pet dog when the other strays followed them. Joseph alleged that one of the neighbour youths saw this and started pelting stones. When he objected, the youth charged at him, leading to a scuffle.

But as a crowd gathered, the youth sped away. Minutes later, his friend returned, brandishing a knife. Even as he lunged at Joseph, his wife Chen intervened. In the melee, Chen suffered a deep cut on her scalp. As she sat, bleeding profusely from the head, the assailant fled from the scene.

Joseph, who took to social media to draw attention to the attack, said he and his wife had sterilised six to seven dogs. “We have been feeding them in an abandoned area after 11 pm, without causing trouble to anyone. The dogs are not the attacking type, but I have seen these youth trying to run over them.”

The HAL police have registered a case of assault. The youth, alleging that they too were attacked, lodged a counter complaint. Further investigations are on.