Canine attack on foreign coaches a disgrace to nation, says BJP’s Goel

After stray dogs bit two foreign coaches at the warm-up track of Jawaharlal Nehru (JLN) Stadium during the World Para Athletics Championship, former Union Minister and BJP leader Vijay Goel on Saturday blamed stray dog feeders, government authorities and the Supreme Court for the incident.

“This is very embarrassing for our country. Those who said that stray dogs should be allowed to stay on streets are responsible for this,” Goel said.

“People will think several times before coming to India…There are stray dogs at airports and railway stations...Unless all these dogs are picked up and dropped at shelters, children, elderly and foreign tourists will be under threat...If dog bites are reported, tourism will drop,” he added.

Kenyan coach Dennis Maragia and Japanese coach Meiko Okumatsu were attacked by stray dogs at the stadium’s warm-up area on Friday morning. Maragia was bitten outside the competition arena while speaking to an athlete. Later, Okumatsu was bitten at the warm-up track while supervising her athletes. Both were initially treated at the stadium’s athlete medical room before being taken to Safdarjung Hospital. They have been discharged and returned to their hotels.

In response, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) launched an intensified drive to capture stray dogs from the venue. Four teams have been deployed across 21 entry points to the stadium to monitor and prevent further incidents. Officials said since September 25, 22 stray dogs have been captured from the premises.

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court had directed the authorities in Delhi-NCR to move street dogs to shelters, but later allowed sterilised and vaccinated dogs to be returned to their original areas, excluding aggressive or rabies-infected animals.