Kota, Aug 23 (PTI) A 5-year-old girl was severely injured after being attacked by a stray dog in the Bengali Colony of the Chawani area in Rajasthan’s Kota on Saturday.
Authorities from the Kota Municipal Corporation (KMC) stated that they are taking measures to address the stray dog problem in the city, including the construction of the state’s first-ever dog shelter, specifically for strays.
CCTV footage of the horrifying incident shows the child being dragged and mauled in the street before residents intervened to rescue her.
The attack took place at around 7.15 pm when the victim, identified as Namra, was playing in a lane outside her house. The dog suddenly rushed toward her, knocked her to the ground, dragged her along the pavement, and bit her multiple times. Hearing her desperate screams, a local woman and several nearby residents rushed to the scene and managed to chase the animal away.
Namra sustained deep wounds to her head, back, and wrists and was immediately taken to the hospital for treatment.
The incident has raised significant concern among locals regarding public safety. Community members noted that this is not an isolated event; previously, a sanitation worker was also viciously attacked by a stray dog in the same neighbourhood, suffering severe lacerations to his legs.
Kishan Prajapati, the local representative for Ward 63, mentioned that after the attack, he visited the site, assisted in getting the child to the hospital, and called a municipal corporation team to capture the dog. Residents are demanding immediate, hands-on intervention rather than unfulfilled promises.
In response to the growing stray dog issue in the city, KMC Commissioner OP Mehra assured that measures are underway to address the situation.
“Under the Animal Birth Control (ABC) program, dogs captured upon complaints are taken to the ABC centre for sterilisation and returned to the same locality after 3-4 days, strictly following Supreme Court guidelines,” Commissioner Mehra said.
Currently, there is no permanent shelter available for aggressive dogs from the streets; however, a dedicated dog shelter with a capacity for 600-700 animals is under construction in the Banda Dharampura area to manage aggressive dogs effectively, Mehra said.
The dog shelter is expected to be completed in the next 7-8 months and will be the first of its kind in the state, he added.
This facility will permanently house aggressive stray dogs that continue to pose a public threat even after sterilisation. PTI CORR MPL MPL
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