20-day baby dies of pig bite in South Delhi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 4

In a shocking incident, a 20-day-old infant died after being bitten by a pig in South Delhi yesterday, said a police official.

The baby, Pushpa, was being breast fed by her mother when she was attacked by the pig.

"A call was received at the Fatehpur Beri Police Station around 12.45 pm regarding the case," said Chinmoy Biswal, Additional DCP, South District.

The baby was taken to AIIMS Trauma Centre, where during treatment, it died.

According to a resident of Fatehpur Beri, Prem Lata, “Such incidents of pig bites are common here. Owners of the pigs generally don’t have a proper shelter or pig farm to keep them, therefore, in early morning they let them free and by evening they return to the owners’ place.”

“The people, who are running the business of pig farming, many times have been told to take care of the pigs and not let them roam around freely in the colonies, but they hardly have bothered to do so. If anybody objects, they are even ready to fight,” added another resident of Beri Village.

It is not only Fetehpur Beri which is facing pig menace, but Madangir, Dakashin Puri, and many other parts of South and Outer Delhi which are affected with this menace.

When spoke to a senior official of the municipal corporation he said, “The civic body doesn’t have any specific policy to handle pig menace in the city like we have for monkeys and dogs. But certainly pigs these days have become a threat to small children and sometimes they have attacked grownups too.”

“As pigs by nature are violent and a policy should be there in place so that in future such incidents can be controlled. As in Delhi for the past few years the population of pigs has tripled and all are been owned by someone or other. The pig business is also a big one and the city is one of the big suppliers of pig meat in India and abroad. Therefore, soon something should be done to streamline the people who are into this business,” added the official.

However, an FIR has been registered at the Fatehpur Beri Police Station and investigation is being carried out to find out the owner of the pig.