canine attack
© Angela Antunes / CC by 2.0
A seven-year-old girl was mauled to death by a pack of stray dogs in Ayodhya, while she was going to play. As canines attacked the minor, other kids managed to escape and inform the family. However, by the time help could reach her, the girl died.

The tragedy took place in Naseerpur area of Raunahi police circle on Thursday evening when Riya Varma (7) went out to play with her brother, Raunak, and other kids from the neighbourhood. They were walking towards the canal in the village when dogs attacked them.

By the time children raised an alarm, the dogs pounced upon the girl, ripped through her body, leaving her in a pool of blood. Eye-witnesses said, when elders reached the spot, they found the girl lying lifeless. After villagers chased the dogs, they rushed her to the district hospital where doctors declared her 'bought dead'.

Sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Vipin Kumar Singh said as there was no provision in law to register FIRs in cases of stray attacks. However, district magistrate Anuj Kumar Jha ordered municipal authorities to conduct an extensive drive and sanitize urban and rural pockets where stray animals were on the prowl.