3-yr-old girl mauled to death by stray dogs in Fatehgarh Sahib

A three-year-old girl was mauled to death by a pack of dogs in Lakhanpur village of Fatehgarh Sahib on Saturday morning, triggering outrage among residents who blamed the authorities for failing to control the growing stray dog menace.

The deceased was identified as Manisha Kumari.

According to her family members, the child had stepped out to fetch water from a nearby motor.

Her father Chhotu Ram, a daily wage labourer, said she was separated from other children near the fields when a pack of stray dogs attacked her.

By the time villagers reached the spot, the child had suffered fatal injuries.

Local residents said the problem had been persisting for a long time but the authorities failed to take effective steps to check it.

Former panchayat member Vishamjit Singh Lakhanpur, former sarpanch Harbhajan Singh Garcha and farmer leader Lakhbir Singh said a carcass dumping site near Mandera village attracted a large number of ferocious dogs.

They said that the dumping site was located along a link road frequently used by schoolchildren and villagers. They alleged that stray dogs often chased pedestrians and attacked two-wheeler riders, while incidents of dog bites had become common in the area.

They claimed that the issue had repeatedly been raised in panchayat meetings and before administrative officials, but no concrete action had been taken so far to control the stray dog population.

Local residents demanded financial assistance for the bereaved family and urged the district administration to take immediate and effective steps to curb the stray dog menace to prevent such incidents in future.