IN MOURNING: Parents of Sridevi in a state of shock after she was killed by a pack of stray dogs at Chandra Layout in Bangalore on Friday.

BANGALORE: The stray dog menace in the city on Friday reached a brutal high when a pack of nine stray dogs ripped apart an eight-year-old girl on 9th Main in Chandra Layout.

The victim, Sridevi, bled to death on the spot after sustaining multiple injuries and a fatal wound on her neck. Portions of her body, including her scalp, were ripped apart by the dogs. A deathly silence envelops the area where Sridevi had been living with her parents for the past few months. Bloodstains and tufts of her hair lying on the road were a telltale sign of the morning's violent attack.

Natives of Gulbarga, Sridevi's parents Shivalingaiah and Shivanagamma worked at a construction site in the area and doubled up as watchmen.

On Friday, Shivalingaiah, who did odd jobs, was away on a painting contract.

At around 7 a.m., Sridevi went to call her father for breakfast. On her way, she was attacked.

No one knows why Sridevi was attacked. There are no eyewitnesses to provide her parents with an answer as to what provoked the dogs. Only three people saw the dogs dragging her down the road. "We threw stones at the dogs but they did not let go," said K.N. Chandrasekhar, a resident.

She died before anything could be done, he said. "I heard her scream. And I heard the dogs barking. But I did not realise that such a brutal incident was taking place," said Thimmakka, another resident. People here live under a constant fear of being attacked by dogs. On December 5, a dog went on a rampage and had bitten at least 20 people. That dog was later euthanised. "We have not been able to spot the dogs that attacked the girl. But we have rounded up all the dogs in the area as a precautionary measure," said Deputy Director at the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) Animal Husbandry Department Prakash Reddy. But it was a move too late, said the residents. On November 28, residents had written to BMP asking for action on the stray dog menace in the area. When asked what action was taken, Mr. Reddy cited a few figures.

Action taken

"We have captured 277 dogs in the area since April. Of these, 57 have been euthanised," he said.

The problem mainly is dumping of garbage, said the residents. Mr. Chandrasekhar said, "Meat waste is dumped at the end of the road. Since it is not cleared regularly, the dogs have found this a most agreeable place to live," he said.

The BMP, however, insisted that it had been doing its job of collecting garbage well. "But the problem is that a lot of unauthorised meat shops prop up in the area even after we remove them," said BMP Commissioner K. Jairaj. Offering his condolences to Sridevi's parents, Mr. Jairaj said that the BMP would give them Rs. 1 lakh.

BMP helpline

In case of a stray dog menace, the people can call the 24-hour helpline 22224541.

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