Locals accuse civic body of negligence after stray cattle attack claims man's life in south Delhi

New Delhi: Locals in South Delhi's Tigri, where a 42-year-old man died in a stray cattle attack, alleged on Friday that despite multiple complaints about the rise in the number of such animals in the area the civic body has not taken any action on the issue.

They alleged that several illegal dairies were operating in the area and Thursday's incident has exposed the "gross negligence" on the part of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

Subhash Kumar Jha, a resident of Khanpur, was waiting for the school bus for his child in Devli Mor when the animal gored the man and pounded him with its hooves as he lay on the road.

In the footage from a CCTV camera, Jha's son could be seen screaming for help. The animal stomped on Jha's chest and head several times after goring him. People standing nearby tried to save him by trying to hit the animal with sticks, the video showed.

"My uncle died due to gross negligence on the part of the civic body as they are leaving stray animals like cows and dogs unattended. The stray animal attacked my uncle, leading to his death," Prashant, the nephew of Jha, said.

According to the people, a large number of illegal dairies operating in the area and a dearth of space in the cowsheds were the reasons behind a large number of stray cattle roaming on the streets.

Rahul Raj, a local, raised concern about people's safety, claiming that attacks by stray animals have increased recently.

"Nobody can imagine that a cattle can kill someone. If animals are allowed to roam free like this, how can people feel safe? It is the negligence on the part of the authorities. This never used to happen earlier. But now stray animals are killing people and nobody is taking stock of the situation," he said.

The MCD, in a statement, said that in response to the incident, its veterinary department will take action against illegal dairies in the area and will cut their electricity and water supply, besides sealing them.

"Today, in the Khanpur area of South Delhi, an individual was attacked by an animal. In response to this incident, a team of the veterinary department of the Delhi Municipal Corporation took action and captured nine animals.

"Additionally, with the assistance of the Delhi Police, extensive measures will be taken against illegal dairies. Their electricity and water connections will be severed along with sealing these shops," the civic body said.

Locals in the area claimed that several complaints to the MCD regarding the stray cattle menace in the area have fallen on deaf ears.

"Attack by cattle have happened in the area earlier also and people were injured. But this was the first time that a man was gored to death," Manoranjan, the brother of the deceased, told PTI.

A police officer, admitting the problem of stray animals in the locality, said that they had relayed the information to the municipal corporation. "We are yet to ascertain whether it was a cow or a bull and also finding out it was owned by anybody."

Another police officer said that after the incident, Jha was taken to Batra Hospital where he died during treatment on Friday morning. His body was handed over to his family after post-mortem, police said.