Pack of stray dogs maul 18-month-old to death in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: A nightmare returned to haunt Hyderabad on Tuesday evening when an 18-month-old boy was attacked and brutally killed by a pack of stray dogs at Adarsh Nagar under Jawahar Nagar Municipal Corporation in the city's eastern suburbs.
In the past 12 months, at least eight children have been killed by stray dogs in the state. Six of these attacks have taken place in just the past three months, creating an uproar among residents.Even chief minister Revanth Reddy issued a statement asking authorities to check the stray dog menace. The Telangana high court too has taken up the issue and asked Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to come up with solutions.
In the latest attack, the toddler P Vihaan was playing outside his relatives' house between 7 pm and 7.30 pm when a pack of around 15 dogs pounced on him, dragged him for several metres and inflicted severe injuries on his face and body. The savage mauling left the boy almost unrecognisable.
Vihaan's parents, who are originally from Siddipet, had come to the city only two weeks ago and were living with a relative in the hope of finding work. On Tuesday, they had gone to a nearby pharmacy to buy medicines for their unwell daughter and asked Vihaan's grandmother to keep an eye on him until they returned. However, the grandmother did not notice the toddler wandering out of the house, which is when the dogs attacked him.
"The family desperately sought medical treatment for the toddler at two private hospitals. However, both denied admission," M Pavan Kumar, Vihaan's uncle told TOI.
No action on issue despite no. of plaints, say residents
As a last resort, we rushed him to Gandhi Hospital, hoping for a miracle. Unfortunately, the doctors said the boy’s condition had deteriorated rapidly and his heartbeat eventually stopped,” Pavan Kumar added.
Locals told TOI that 30 stray dogs roam the Adarsh Nagar streets. They survive on leftover food discarded by residents and scraps from a garbage dump. There are also many butcher shops on the roadside which dump their waste in the open, attracting the strays.
“The municipal officials have been largely unresponsive to the grievances raised on stray dogs,” said P Venkatesh, a local resident of Adarsh Nagar.
Taj Mohan Reddy, commissioner, Jawahar Nagar corporation, said they were unable to take effective action due to a lack of stray dog catching vehicles.
“We had reached out to GHMC officials requesting assistance. In response, they provided two dog-catching vehicles.
We caught as many as 60 dogs in and around Adarsh Nagar and sent these for vaccination. Within a week, all the stray dogs in the municipal limit would be caught, vaccinated, and sterilised,” he added.
Jawahar Nagar police station officials said they have registered a complaint by the child’s father under section 194 of the BNSS where the police must be informed in the case of suspicious or unnatural deaths.