Amritsar – In a much shocking incident, a three-year-old boy, Angadbir Singh, was mauled to death by a pack of dogs in Hardkhurd village in Ajnala here today.
The boy was playing outside his house when the incident took place. The deceased was the only son of his parents. The family members came to know about the incident when he failed to return home even after one hour. The parents of the deceased work in the ITI at Ajnala while the boy remained with his grandparents.
Sardool Singh, grandfather of the deceased, said when Angadbir did not return, he started looking for him in the neighbouring houses, but their neighbours feigned ignorance about his whereabouts. While searching for him, he found his sweater in the adjoining fields. He proceeded a little further only to find a pack of six stray dogs surrounding a badly mauled body of Angadbir. He immediately raised the alarm and rushed towards the spot. With the help of villagers, the boy was taken to the Ajnala Civil Hospital where doctors declared him dead.
Following the shocking incident, the villagers were overcome with anger and regretted the government’s apathy towards the growing the menace of stray dogs.
Sawinder Singh, a resident of the village who took the boy to the hospital in his car, alleged that the stray dogs had made life hell for the people. He said it is a common sight to see a pack of dogs chasing a motorcycle or cycle or other vehicles. It becomes dangerous to commute in the evenings.
Navchand Singh, sarpanch of the village, said though the village is small, there are around 100 stray dogs on the periphery of the village. He said there is a vacant space near the gurdwara in the village where a large number of dogs could be seen. He demanded the intervention of the state government in eradicating the menace of stray dogs.
Jamhoori Kisan Sabha leader Satnam Singh Ajnala said the government could announce a suitable compensation for the aggrieved family. He also demanded that the government should release funds for sterilisation of canines so that their population could be controlled.