It's a battle between bite victims and animal lovers
It's a battle between bite victimsu00a0and animal lovers
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| Canine terror: Dogs have become synonymous with terror on JNU campus. file pic |
Jawaharlal Nehru University is known for debates on national issues but scholars at the institution are engaged in a rather wild discourse these days, literally.
Move over Naxalism, inflation, education and socialism, the public debate circles in the reputed university are abuzz with dogs. Battle lines have been distinctly drawn with one side expressing desire to get rid of the canines that have become synonymous with terror after several cases of dog bites were reported. However, the other side says that in the name of some "accidents" innocent animals are being tortured and hounded.
Students had earlier started signature petition addressing the vice-chancellor of the university to remove dogs from the campus but now they have decided to fine all those who are found feeding canines.
The population of stray dogs has increased immensely in the university campus mostly at the food joints. The animals had attacked many handicapped students, even faculty members. The girls hostel 'Godavari' from where maximum complaints were reported was home to four dogs.
On July 23 a team of NGO and MCD officers caught all the four dogs and released them near the ridge area but all of them returned to the hostel because allegedly some of the girlsl used to feed them. Even in the past these dogs were taken by the MCD but repeatedly they returned to the campus and attacked students.
Finally, on July 26 a general body meeting was held at Godavari hostel where it was decided that anyone found feeing the dogs will be fined and repeat offenders will be asked to leave the hostel.
Mugdha Pandey, resident of Godavari hostel, said: "Dogs have mushroomed on campus in the last few months. They have become a terror to the students, yet no proper measures have been put in place to control them."
| Butchers of JNU |
| On the night of July 7, 2008, Yoronsu, 31, a student of School of Social Sciences, along with two other students, tortured and bludgeoned an eight-year-old black, female dog for more than one and half hours, with a cricket bat and rods till she was covered in her own blood and her head swollen to twice the size. Then the three of them cut her into pieces while she was alive and her mouth stuffed up with a cloth.
The bitch was lured using biscuits as bait and then locked up in the hostel room where the entire incident took place. |
Manisha Sinha another Godavari resident, who initiated the signature campaign, said: "There were many cases of dog bites so we tried to get the figure from the JNU health centre but they said that they need permission from the chief medical officer to release the information."
"I had written an application to the Dean and also went to see the sanitary inspector of JNU. They assured action but nothing much was done. About 15 days ago nine people were bitten by dogs at the Ganga dhaba in a single day. One of the victims was bitten so badly that he was taken to Safdarjung Hospital in an ambulance," she said.
But there is also no dearth of students who feel that there is nothing wrong in feeding innocent animals.u00a0
u00a0"I don't see any harm in dogs staying on such a huge university campus. Yes I have heard about dog bites but they attack you only if you try to attack them," said Javed Akhtar, a day scholar at the varsity.
