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Stray dogs bite a dozen students

Last Updated 19 January 2011, 03:07 IST
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On Tuesday, the stray dog menace returned to haunt the residents of Bagalur yet again.
Barely had the locality recovered from the shock of the death of 18-month-old Prashanth, suspected to have been mauled to death by stray dogs, when strays bit a dozen students and teachers in the area. This time, the dogs targeted the Jawahar Navodaya School, a Centrally-sponsored residential school.

The incident, which occurred between 6.30 am and 10.30 am in the morning saw a pack of dogs bit at least 12 children and a teacher. However, conflicting reports have come about the dogs. Some state that they were just puppies which were being reared on the school premises. But, according to residents, the dogs were strays.

Following the incident, the school rushed the students to a nearby government hospital for treatment in their van. None of the bitten students are, however in danger.

Of the children bitten, three. Tejasvi, Shirisha and Subhash are stated to have required special medical attention. Johnny, an English teacher was also bitten. Most of the students were from the 11th standard, who were out on the ground for PT.

Agitated residents claimed that the dogs were ferocious and had sent a shock wave across the village, which has been at the receiving end of the dog menace for some time now.

According to them, over 250 students had come to Bagalur from the nearby villages and almost every student fears to walk down the streets of Bagalur because of the stray dog menace.

But the school principal played down the incident by stating that the dogs were just puppies.

“The dogs are not more than three months old,” said Navneeth Raj, the school principal. He explained that the dogs entered the school grounds from a portion of the school premises whose wall was not built on account of a pending litigation. “This was the entry point for dogs from the neighbouring village,” he clarified.

Officials of the Animal Husbandry Department of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) arrived in the area in the evening and caught at least seven dogs from the area considered to be dangerous.

Speaking after the incident, the Bangalore Urban Deputy Commissioner (DC) M K Ayyappa said his office will have a serious discussion on the matter with the Zilla Panchayat authorities for further action. “We will take immediate steps to arrest this problem of stray dog menace in the area,” he said.

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(Published 18 January 2011, 19:41 IST)

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