NEW DELHI: An elderly man was mauled to death by a pack of stray dogs in Delhi’s Dwarka Sector 19, after he was chased and attacked near a park, police said on Friday.
The man, identified as Raju, aged around 60 years, was rushed to a hospital in critical condition but succumbed
to his injuries during treatment, they said.
The incident occurred when a group of stray dogs attacked Raju on a road in the area late Tuesday night. In an attempt to save himself, he jumped into a nearby park, but the dogs surrounded him, pulled him to the ground and mauled him, tearing his clothes and inflicting severe injuries, police said.
On receiving information from passersby, police reached the spot and shifted him to a hospital, where he died during treatment. As he was not carrying any identity documents, his identity could not be established initially.
Police later identified the victim as a daily-wage labourer whose family lives at Ambrahi village in Dwarka. After a post-mortem examination, the body was handed over to the family, who left early Thursday morning for his native place in Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur district
for the last rites.
During the investigation, police found that Raju had been living on roads and footpaths for over a year after leaving his home following frequent domestic disputes. He is survived by his wife and
three children.
His wife works as a domestic help at a society in Sector 11 to support the family, police said. The incident occurred amid an ongoing hearing over the stray dogs issue in the Supreme Court. The top court is hearing arguments on pleas, including the ones filed by dog lovers, seeking modification of its earlier orders and those for stringent compliance with the directives.
The Supreme Court on Thursday said it had not directed the removal of every dog from the streets, and the directive was to treat these stray canines according
to the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules.