- "Let Karnataka be the first in India to ask the Supreme Court to act against dogs," said JDS MLC SL Bhojegowda
- Large-scale culling of dogs have been reported periodically from several southern states over a decade.Â
- Two college students were attacked by dogs in Bengaluru today and had to be hospitalised
A leader from HD Kumaraswamy's Janata Dal Secular has admitted to killing 2800 dogs to ensure "the safety of children". MLC SL Bhojegowda demanded that a "petition be filed in the Supreme Court... let Karnataka be the first in India to ask the Supreme Court to act against dogs".
"We also have concern for animals, but animal lovers are another menace," Mr Bhojegowda said in the Legislative Council today. "But you see the suffering of young children. You read about this daily in the papers and TV. It is happening every day," he said.
Then he recounted what happened "once upon a time" when he headed the civic body in Chikmagalur. "We had mixed something with meat and fed about 2800 dogs and buried them under coconut trees... let's go to jail also if needed for the safety of our kids," he said.
Large-scale culling of dogs have been reported periodically from several southern states over a decade.
These instances had added fuel to the vehement objections from animal activists to the Supreme Court order to remove all strays from Delhi and NCR and put them in shelters.
The matter had echoed in the Karnataka assembly following attacks on two college students in Bengaluru. The two, MSc students at Bengaluru's Ambedkar School of Economics University, had to be hospitalised.
Last month, a 70-year-old man died after being allegedly mauled by a pack of stray dogs just outside his house in Kodigehalli, Karnataka.
Earlier, a three-year-old girl was attacked by a group of stray dogs in Shimla Nagar of Old Hubballi. CCTV footage of the attack showed the dogs biting her shoulder, back, legs, and arms and dragging her to the ground. She was rushed to KIMS Hospital with serious injuries.
Karnataka Lokayukta Justice BS Patil has pulled up the Bengaluru's civic body Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike for its failure to tackle stray dogs. One of the key lapses highlighted was the BBMP's failure to establish observation homes for aggressive dogs, despite prior instructions from the Lokayukta.
Following the uproar over the Supreme Court order to round up strays and remove them from the streets of Delhi-NCR, Chief Justice of India BR Gavai said today that he would look into the issue.
