65-year-old man mauled to death by stray dogs on AMU campus
A video showing stray dogs attack a man at Aligarh Muslim University campus, in Aligarh on Sunday.
In yet another incident of canine attack, a 65-year-old man was mauled to death by six-seven stray dogs in a park on the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) campus.
According to Aligarh police, Safadr Ali Khan, a resident of Civil Lines area, was attacked by the dogs when he came to the park for a morning walk at 6 a.m. A purported video of the incident has also gone viral on social media.
AMU Public Relations Officer Omar S. Peerzada said, “The man, like several locals, had come for a morning walk in the park at Sir Syed Academy. He was talking on the phone when a pack of dogs attacked him.”
He said that it was not an isolated space and several people come to the park, especially during the month of Ramzan. The university official said that no similar incident of this type had been reported earlier on the campus.
“We analysed the CCTV footage of the area and it appears that the dogs attacked him without any provocation,” he added.
Superintendent of Police (SP) City Kuldeep Singh Gunawat said the victim died on the spot. “An AMU security guard informed the police. He had died when our officers reached the spot. The body was taken to a hospital for post-mortem.”
He said that as per the preliminary post-mortem report, the person died due to injuries caused by animal bite marks.
Mr. Peerzada said the university administration has taken cognisance of the incident and taken prompt action for the safety of people.
“We immediately got in touch with the Aligarh Municipal Corporation (AMC) and the district administration about the stray dog problem,” he said. “The civic body picked up several dogs around the area today. They will now run a drive to catch more stray dogs in and around the campus,” he added.
Mr. Peerzada also said the university administration has also issued an advisory to security staff and students to be vigilant. “We have increased security in areas where students hangout at night. It is a huge campus and there are several spots from where dogs can enter into it. We have told staff and students to inform the administration if they see any such spot.”
“We will take necessary action to ensure safety of people but will also make sure that the animals are not harmed during the course of it,” he added.
