Jahanvi Agarwal
In response to a rise in violent attacks by stray dogs in the district of Kannur, the district panchayat of Kannur has filed an application in the Supreme Court requesting the euthanizing of suspected rabid or extremely dangerous dogs.
The application states that on June 11, 2023, a pack of stray dogs mauled to death an 11-year-old boy in Kannur, and an identical event occurred last year in Kerala’s Kottayam District, where a 12-year-old boy also lost his life due to a stray dog attack.
The application underlines–
“It is pertinent to mention that 5794 stray dog attacks were reported in 2019, 3951 cases in 2020, 7927 cases in 2021, 11776 cases were reported in 2022 and 6276 cases are reported up to 19th June 2023 in Kannur District itself. It is further submitted that there are approximately 28000 stray dogs in the limits of the Applicant herein.”
Despite every attempt to minimize the problem of stray dogs within the local boundaries, it has been reported by the District Panchayat area as well as the rest of the state that stray dog attacks and bites have actually increased, and the reason has been found to be due to dog collisions.
The application also stated that due to the violent attacks of stray dogs, 65 ducks, and other domestic animals have been killed. The Panchayat has thus requested the Supreme Court of India to order the euthanizing of “suspected rabid dogs or extremely dangerous dogs in a humane manner.”
Biju P. Raman, an attorney-on-record, has moved the application. The interlocutory application was submitted as part of a civil appeal against a 2015 Kerala High Court ruling. The Kerala Government had also requested the same from the Supreme Court of India last year.