Bengaluru: A tragic case of rabies claimed the life of a four-year-old girl, Khadeera Banu, in Bengaluru on Tuesday. The child had been undergoing treatment at Rajiv Gandhi Hospital after being mauled by a stray dog in April while playing inside her home in Davangere. The dog had bitten her face and other body parts, leaving her severely injured. Despite immediate medical attention and advanced treatment in Bengaluru, she succumbed after four months of battling the infection.
This incident has once again brought the rising menace of stray dog attacks into sharp focus. Earlier this month, Karnataka Lokayukta Justice B.S. Patil reprimanded the BBMP for failing to control the issue. An independent probe by Dr. Vamshikrishna, Superintendent of Police (Urban Division), found lapses in setting up observation homes for aggressive dogs.
The problem is not limited to Karnataka. Just last week, the Supreme Court ordered all stray dogs in Delhi-NCR and nearby regions to be moved to shelters, in response to growing cases of dog bites and rabies deaths. The apex court directed that shelters must be equipped with trained professionals to manage, sterilise, and vaccinate dogs, ensuring they do not stray back into residential areas. The court also issued a strong warning that any organisation obstructing these efforts will face the “strictest action.”
Khadeera Banu’s death underscores the urgent need for effective stray dog management, better public safety measures, and stronger enforcement of animal control laws across the country.