A crippling fear has taken over the residents in Gurugram after a pet Husky suddenly attacked a woman in a posh colony within a Gurugram complex. The attack has added a new dynamic to the long-standing issue of stray dogs. While stray dogs are still considered a hazardous issue for residents, attacks by pet dogs have also become increasingly common.
A new video has surfaced showing a pet Husky attacking a woman in the Golf Course area of Gurugram. CCTV footage of the incident, which has since gone viral, shows the Husky going feral and pouncing on a woman who was walking by. The dog leaped with such force that the woman fell to the ground and succumbed to its bite.
Bystanders quickly tried to ward off the pet from the woman and eventually managed to do so. However, by that time, the dog had already inflicted severe injuries on the victim. The woman has sustained serious injuries to her hand.
Amid the rising cases of Rabies and Dog bites, the Supreme Court on July 28 took suo motu cognizance following a media report highlighting the escalating threat of stray dog attacks and the resulting rise in rabies cases. A division bench comprising Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan described the report as “deeply disturbing and alarming.”
“The article presents shocking statistics. Each day, hundreds of dog bite cases are reported across cities and suburban areas, leading to rabies infections. Tragically, infants, young children, and the elderly are becoming the primary victims of this deadly disease,” the bench remarked.
According to the report, children and senior citizens are the most vulnerable groups affected by rabies resulting from dog bites. The bench has now placed the matter before Chief Justice of India, BR Gavai, to decide the further course of action.
Previously, a study conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Epidemiology (ICMR-NIE) titled Human Rabies Death and Animal Bite Burden Estimates in India, 2022-2023 revealed that over 5,000 deaths occur annually due to dog bites. The findings also indicated a higher rate of dog bite incidents among children under 14 and adults over 60.
The report estimated that India witnesses around 9.1 million animal bite cases and approximately 5,726 deaths from rabies caused by dog bites each year.
