Tell police to protect people from dogs: PIL

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat high court on Tuesday issued notice to the state government, city police commissioner and the municipal commissioner, in response to a PIL demanding that police action against the increasing stray dog menace.
The petitioner advocate, Kirtikuamr Bhatt from Bopal, sought HC directions to the government and city police commissioner to use the police force to curb the menace of stray dogs.He argued that under the provisions of Gujarat Police Act, police authorities are responsible for the safety of citizens. “The law makes them responsible for ensuring the safety of citizens, not only from human beings, but also from all sources of danger,” the petitioner contended.
The petitioner argued that the free roaming dogs have the potential to cause danger to the life and health of the people. While this is an issue of public health with thousands of people in danger of rabies, it is the responsibility of the state government to prevent dog attacks. He submitted that packs of ‘man-eater’ stray dogs roam free on the streets and the victims are mainly poor and middle-class citizens, children, the infirm and the elderly.
The petitioner cited various news reports along with a figure of 60,292 cases of dog bite reported between November 2017 and October 2018 to emphasize the scale of the menace. He claimed that the total number of dog-bite cases was 30,026 in 2010. He argued that cases of dog bites in Ahmedabad are on the rise and the dog population management programme has proven a failure. The animal birth control programme for dogs has also failed, the petitioner claimed and argued that the police must act to protect people from dog attacks.