Dispute over dog bite turns violent in Thane, man attacked with cricket bat

A dispute over a pet dog bite in Thane city escalated into a violent altercation leaving a 45yearold man severely injured according to the policeAs per PTI reports the incident took place on March 14 in Balkum Pada where the victim a resident of the locality was bitten by his neighbourrsquos pet dogFollowing the incident the victim confronted the dogrsquos owner advising him to keep the animal under control to prevent such incidents in the future an officer from the Kapurbawdi Police Station saidThe discussion soon turned heated leading to a quarrel between the two neighbours According to PTI the dogrsquos owner in a fit of rage allegedly assaulted the victim with a cricket bat The sudden escalation of the argument into physical violence left the victim with serious injuriesThe injured man was promptly rushed to a nearby hospital where he is undergoing treatment for his injuries PTI reports The extent of the injuries has not been disclosed but officials confirmed that the victim suffered grievous harm due to the attackPolitical meddling stifling dog birth control programme in Mumbai allege activistsWhileBMCrecords show 14954 dog sterilisations in 2023 animal activist Santosh Shirke has claimed that sterilisations surgeries conducted under the dog birth control programme have actually plummeted from 24000 in 2017 to under 12000 in 2023 Shirke attributes the alarming decline to undue political interference and manipulation of tenders in municipal corporationsShirke who is based inPuneand represents the Federation of Animal Welfare Organisations has raised serious concerns over the dwindling numbers of dog sterilisation surgeries across Maharashtra and other parts of the country In a letter to the chief minister he has alleged gross negligence by civic officialsldquoThe federation is seeking nothing extraordinary We need to balance human rights and animal welfare Such political interference and constant pressure is leading to citizens taking laws into their own hands resulting in the brutal treatment of dogs and puppiesrdquo said Santosh Shirke secretary Federation of Animal Welfare OrganisationsldquoFor the last several years the number of birth control surgeries for dogs per month has been going down drastically This has led to a rise in dog bitesrdquo said Manoj Oswal president of Janice Smith Animal Welfare TrustPolitical influenceShirke and Oswal alleged that certain political leaders seek absolute control over the ldquolucrativerdquo dog control programme focusing on highbudget cities likeMumbai Bengaluru Hyderabad and Pune These leaders have allegedly written direct letters to municipal commissioners pressuring them to allocate tenders to specific organisations while sidelining othersldquoIn many instances municipal commissioners have been compelled to transfer tenders to nonbidding parties or lowerranked bidders L2L3 while bypassing the legitimate winners In some cases work orders have been suspended or stopped entirely due to political pressurerdquo said ShirkeCall for transparencyAnimal welfare advocates and civic activists are demanding an independent inquiry into the alleged manipulation of municipal tenders They insist on transparency in awarding contracts to ensure that experienced and qualified organisations handle dog sterilisation efforts rather than politically favoured entities with no expertiseAccording to the guidelines laid down by the Animal Welfare Board of India the number of dogs can be controlled only if 30 per cent of the dogs are sterilised every year Considering the current stray dog population in Mumbai it is necessary to sterilise 3200034000 dogs every year and a minimum of 365 dogs every month Rising dog bite casesData from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporationrsquos BMC Deonar Abattoir office reveals a sharp rise in reported dog bite cases in Mumbai from 2020 to 2023 Obtained under theRight to Information RTI Actlast year the data has raised serious concerns about public safety and animal welfareSocial activist Jeetendra Ghadge who filed the RTI and is part of The Young Whistleblowers Foundation said ldquoThe rising cases show the failure of sterilisation programmes I havenrsquot received 2024 data yet but Irsquom sure cases have increased The stray dog population is growing and I see no intervention from the civic bodyrdquoNeal Shah a Charni Road resident said ldquoI have been feeding dogs for the past decade and currently feed at least 80 to 100 dogs daily I started with five to ten dogs but the number gradually increased Whenever I see a rise in the number of stray dogs I report this to animal NGOs and the BMC which helps get them sterilised However dog bites increase when animals are hungry or unsterilised and this needs urgent attention from the civic bodyrdquoGhadge added ldquoBMC should not only address stray dog populations but also establish a dedicated portal for reporting complaints related to cruelty towards stray dogs and also towards pet dogs by their ownersrdquolsquoA serious concernrsquoSpeaking to midday Pawan Sharma founder and president of Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare said ldquoCommunity animal population is a serious concern across the country and ABC programmes are the only legal ethical and humane solution to address it Unfortunately the current focus has been limited to dogs while other animals such as cats pigs mules donkeys horses and abandoned cattle continue to multiply uncheckedrdquoldquoThe BMC has the resources and potential to set a benchmark in animal welfare If executed effectively its model could be replicated across other cities and towns significantly improving the conditions of community animalsrdquoWith PTI inputs