At least 13 children in Sitapur village of Uttar Pradesh were mauled to death by a pack of dogs in the past six months.
After the 13th victim — a 10-year-old girl fell prey to a pack of dogs, on Sunday, 13 May, villagers took matter into their own hands and started killing any dog that comes their way.
The incident triggered a protest by the villagers who blocked the highways as the administration resorted to lathi-charge to calm down the mob.
The local administration also put a curb on the movement of children outside their homes.
Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath came down to visit the grieving families to reassure them that action is being taken. He also announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakhs for the families of the dead, and Rs 25,000 for the injured.
Times Of India quoted the joint director Indian Veterinary Research Institute VK Gupta as saying, “It appears the dogs are continuing their hunting streak because innately they are carnivorous. They might be attacking humans in the absence of availability of meat. We have got samples of saliva, teeth and a dog's body for study.” But no concrete finding on the dogs’ behaviours has been reported yet.
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