Burari family’s lone survivor dies of ‘shock’

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 23

The pet dog of the Chundawat family of Burari whose 11 members were found dead at their home under mysterious circumstances has died at an animal shelter home in Noida due to “shock”, an animal rights activist said today.

Tommy, an Indian Pitbull mix-breed aged above seven, was tied to a grill right above the room where the family allegedly committed suicide.

Sanjay Mohapatra, the Noida-based animal activist, was taking care of the dog, who had shown signs of improvement and had gained weight since the tragedy came to light on July 1. “He had food around 4 pm. He was playing around and was taken for a walk by one of our employees around 5 pm. As Tommy was entering the gate after his walk, he suddenly collapsed. We brought him inside and the doctor examined him, but he died,” Mohapatra said.

The activist said after Tommy’s death, he informed the police as well as Prashant Singh Chundawat, the grandson of Narayan Devi, the eldest member of the family that allegedly committed suicide.

The activist said Tommy’s post-mortem was conducted this morning at a district hospital in Noida and the doctors opined he died of “shock”, which led to a cardiac arrest. Later, a ‘puja’ was performed and Tommy was laid to rest.