Stray dog attacks have been on the rise in Kerala for some time now.
Kasaragod:
A man holds an air gun while carrying children to their school in Kasaragod district of Kerala to protect their children from stray dogs.
Amid reports of a growing menace of stray dogs across the state, a video of an armed man taking a group of children to school has gone viral on social media.
He can be seen walking in front of the children with a gun and saying that if a stray dog attacks, he will shoot it.
He later told a television channel that it was his responsibility as a father to ensure the safety of his children.
A man named Sameer told that he was forced to carry a gun as his own children and that his neighbors stopped going to school for fear of stray dogs, which has been an issue in the area for some time now.
He said, “A madrasa student was bitten by a stray dog the other day. Hence, all the children here were afraid to go out and go to the madrasa. So, I decided to give them protection.” Made a video and posted it on social media.
A native of Bakel in Kasaragod district, he also said that no license is required to carry an air gun.
The man said, “I am not afraid of legal action, because I do not kill any dog. But if a dog attacks, I have to shoot it in self-defense.”
When contacted, the police said that they are aware of the incident but have not received any complaint in this regard so far.
Recently, the state has been witnessing a rise in attacks by stray people. The Kerala High Court then intervened to issue guidelines for proper implementation of Animal Birth Control (ABC) measures and vaccination of dogs.
Despite this, this time also the intervention had to be made to remind the state of its obligation to protect the citizens and also to caution the general public against taking the law into their own hands.
Amid mounting criticism of the government for its inability to control the canine population or in building confidence about the effectiveness of the anti-rabies vaccine, the state government and its various officials have taken steps to tackle the menace on a war footing.
In an effort to allay public fear, the government announced measures including a statewide mass vaccination campaign from September 20 to October 20 to vaccinate stray and pet dogs and opening more animal birth control centers.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)