The boy was found grievously injured in some bushes (representational)
Over eight months after the Kerala government launched a vaccination drive for stray and pet canines in the wake of a spate of deaths due to dog bites, the stray dog menace has again reared its ugly head with the death of a differently abled 11-year-old boy who was attacked and bitten by dogs at Muzhappilangad near Kannur.
Last September, the state government had announced the vaccination drive and also its attempts to find locations for more Animal Birth Control (ABC) centres in the wake of 19 deaths due to dog bites in 2022 till the end of August.
The death of Nihal, however, raises a question mark on the effectiveness of the measures taken by the government to tackle the stray dog menace. The boy was found grievously injured in some bushes several hundred metres away from his home.
A resident who lives near where the boy was found told the media that Nihal used to come there frequently to ride on the swings in a nearby park.
"We heard the dogs barking a lot yesterday. We did not hear the boy. Later when they were searching for him, we searched the area where the dogs were barking and found him," he said.
Another resident said there have been stray dog attacks in the area in the recent past and a complaint was given to the district administration, but nothing was done.
Some residents said that the ABC centre in the area was non-functional.
In the wake of the incident, visuals on TV showed dog catchers turning up in the area, catching stray canines in nets and taking them away.
Reacting to the incident, State Minister for Local Self-Governments M B Rajesh said there was no lack of funds or willingness to set up and run ABC centres and the only hurdle was the resistance from some quarters.
On the other hand, the Congress-led UDF opposition accused the state government of not following through on the assurances given by it in the Legislative Assembly on controlling stray dogs.
Blaming the state government for the boy's death, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly V D Satheesan alleged laxity in implementing waste disposal measures and the ABC program as well as in providing quality vaccines.
He alleged that the lack of proper waste disposal mechanisms and non-sterilisation of stray dogs for the last three years has led to an increase in their numbers.
Meanwhile, on Monday, the absence of Nihal at the special school he goes to was sorely felt by his teachers, many of whom were in tears after hearing the heartbreaking news.
His present class teacher told a TV channel that during the brief period of a week that she knew him, she found him to be a "good boy" who correctly followed the instructions given to him.
"He needed some help with studies, but the rest of the things he would do on his own," she said, barely holding back tears.
However, another teacher, who had taught Nihal for the last three years, could not hold back her tears.
"I cannot say anything about my boy. I am unable to," she said, breaking down and walking away in tears.
Nihal, who suffered from autism, was missing from around 5 pm on Sunday and a search party, comprising relatives, locals and the police, later found him in a grievously injured manner and took him to the hospital.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)