dog attack
A pack of stray dogs attacked a 12-year-old girl Sahiba in Nalhera village of Saharanpur district on Thursday. The badly mauled child succumbed to her injuries during treatment in a hospital on Friday.

The district has witnessed four incidents within a month when stray dogs attacked children, causing three of them to die.

Villagers have approached district officials to get rid of the stray dogs but nothing has been done yet to catch the canines and ensure safety of children.

In the latest incident, Sahiba was on her way back to her village from a local fair in Chilkana town, with other girls of her age.

A pack of stray dogs attacked the girls who managed to escape but Sahiba suffered multiple dog bites. The passers-by somehow saved her and informed her family in the village. She was taken to a village doctor who allowed her to go after providing initial treatment. Her condition deteriorated the next day and she was taken to a hospital in Saharanpur where she succumbed to her injuries during treatment.

Sahiba was the third child who died due to attack by stray dogs in the district within a month.

Earlier, stray dogs had attacked 4-year-old Shifa in Buddhkhera village of Chilkana on April 4. The dogs tore her body and she died on the spot.

In another incident, 3-year-old Koyal, daughter of Lokendra of Jhadawan village in Titron area of the district, died after stray dogs attacked her outside her house on April 7.

The canines also attacked and injured 13-year-old Javed in Barthakayasth village of the district on April 17.

Sub-divisional magistrate of Sadar area Kinshuk Srivastava said that the civic body in the district had no dog catcher cell and was trying to contact the dog catchers in neighbouring districts so that the stray dogs could be relocated.