Lotus Boulevard- Residents stage protest after death of toddler from dog attack

Hundreds of residents of Lotus Boulevard society, sector 100, gathered today morning to protest against the stray dog attack on a 7-month-old child in the society premises reported on the evening of October 17, 2022. There was evident anger among residents who demanded answers from Noida Authority on safety measures against violent canine attacks.

Several dog bite incidents have been reported in Noida over the past few months. As gathered, the seven-month-old child was attacked by three stray dogs. The deceased child was a labourer's son. The child's parents were engaged in labour work when the incident took place. After the incident, the toddler was rushed to a private hospital but succumbed to his injuries.

A large crowd gathered at the main gate expressed discontent against the Noida Authority for their inability in preventing dog attacks. 

CitySpidey visited the society and talked to the protesting residents to gather their views- 

Ruchi Sneha, a resident of the society says, "This is not the first time that stray dogs have attacked someone in the society, I have been living here for the past 4 years and every week, we witness cases of dog bites. But this is the first case of death of a kid who was just seven months old. This case has saddened us from within. I also have my one-and-a-half-year-old child and I am frightened to leave him even for a second alone in this society."

Ruchi further informed, "Last evening, a man was waking with his pet. After a few moments, the pet dog was attacked by 4-5 stray dogs."

Anurag Jha, another resident of the society, says, "Numerous cases of stray dog bites or pet dog bites have taken place in Noida. Many children and senior citizens have been attacked. Despite complaints, Noida Authority has not taken effective actions."

Another resident, Manish Gautam, says, "It is a bleak situation. Neither the Police nor the Authority is giving any assurance to residents."

OSD of Noida Authority, Indu Prakash, and the Assistant Commissioner of police (ACP-1, Noida), Rajneesh Verma, along with their team, visited the society to assure the residents regarding their safety.

According to Noida Police, no complaint was filed because no one claimed ownership of the dogs. "If it had been a pet dog, the owner may have been prosecuted. However, because it is a stray dog, the relevant departments will be notified to take action in the region, such as evicting the dogs or taking other steps," says Rajneesh Verma.

ACP Verma added, “A team has been assigned to remove stray dogs from this society. The strays would be sterilized and after that rehabilitated."