Over 2 lakh people attacked by dogs last year in Punjab

Punjab witnessed over two lakh dogbite cases in 2024, with the state’s industrial centre Ludhiana reporting the maximum number of such incidents.

Advertisement

Patiala stood second followed by SAS Nagar district.

According to a report of the Punjab Health and Family Welfare Department, the state reported 2,13,521 dogbite cases last year, a rise of over 11,000 (2,02,439) when compared with 2023.

Ludhiana district recorded 28,390 cases followed by 17,020 incidents in Patiala and 16,047 in SAS Nagar.

The issue has come to the limelight once again after a nine-year-old boy was mauled to death by a pack of dogs in Dhingi village in Nabha on Monday.

Dr Sandeep K Jain, founder president of the People for Animals, said the open dumping of garbage, unregulated deposing of a large number of dead animals at “hadda rodi”— places meant for disposing of dead animals — are among the reasons for the growth of the dog population.

He said in urban areas too, the dumping of bones of animals and birds after their meat is consumed at eateries is leading to the rise in the dog count.

He said it has been observed that the dogs living around such places turn ferocious. Jain also flagged that there is no official data indicating the fatality caused by dogbites.

“First of all, the dogs involved in killing children need to be isolated for at least 10 days to check whether they have rabies or not. Secondly, such dogs need to be vaccinated,” said Jain.

He said in the Nabha dogbite case, the SDM could have constituted a committee to decide on measures needed to tackle the pack of dogs that killed the boy.

Reacting to it, Nabha SDM Ishmat Vijay Singh said she is awaiting a report from the District Development and Panchayat Officer (DDPO) over the issue. The local Municipal Council has been directed to carry out dog vaccination, she added.

State Rabies Control Programme (SRCP) Officer Dr Preeti Thaware said in cases of dogbite, patients need to follow a strict schedule of vaccine doses that are provided free of cost.

“If vaccines are not taken on the prescribed dates, a patient will have to repeat the cycle and it may cause unwanted health conditions,” she said.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court too in a November 2023 had held the state primarily responsible for paying compensation to people in incidents where stray animals are involved.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court had ruled that in cases relating to dogbites, the financial assistance should be a minimum of Rs 10,000 per tooth mark and where the flesh has been pulled off the body, it should be a minimum of Rs 20,000 per 0.2 cm of wound.