The death of Wagh Bakri Tea Group executive director Parag Desai has divided social media into two camps – with one side blaming the stray dog menace for his death and the other defending strays. Desai, 49, reportedly fell while being chased by stray dogs outside his Ahmedabad home. He suffered a brain haemorrhage and died a week later in hospital.
Parag Desai’s death has once again put the spotlight on stray dog attacks and the laws surrounding this contentious issue. On the microblogging platform X, the two sides engaged traded blame and engaged in a heated debate.
Those concerned by the rising number of stray dog attacks tweeted in favour of euthanizing or locking up the strays. Most members of this camp also called out animal lovers and feeders for aggravating the menace.
Senior IPS officer Arun Bothra’s controversial tweet drew support as well as outrage. “Carry a stick to keep safe from stray dogs on morning walks. If there are dog lover activists in your area, carry a bigger stick,” he wrote.
Carry a stick to keep safe from stray dogs on morning walks. If there are dog lover activists in your area, carry a bigger stick.— Arun Bothra (@arunbothra) October 23, 2023
Chirag Barjatya, the founder of ProjectFitCo, also highlighted the problems caused by strays. He said that street dogs have made roads and parks unsafe for people.
I am telling you again: our roads and streets aren't safe for your jogs and morning walks.- There is a stray waiting to chase you
- There is an animal poop which will ruin your shoes
- There are no footpaths
- if there are footpaths, some vendor who pays hafta to police has…— Chirag Barjatya (@chiragbarjatyaa) October 23, 2023
Many X users said they are forced to carry sticks to ward off stray dogs when stepping out.
India has the highest number of attacks by stray dogs in the world. Most number of rabies deaths in the world as well. Always carry a stick when go for walk. Never let your child go outside without any elderly.— Dinesh | Wealth Acumen (@DineshSEM) October 23, 2023
“He was an animal lover, it's an unfortunate accident. Request to the media to not sully the memory of a good man by writing stories to build hatred against stray animals,” wrote rescuer Annie Thakur.
My heartfelt condolences to his family. He had a brain haemorrhage following a fall. May his soul rest in peace.He was an animal lover, it's an unfortunate accident. Request to the media to not sully the memory of a good man by writing stories to build hatred against stray… https://t.co/AfjUnIGdBG
— Annie Thakur (she/her) (@GoneGirlAnnie) October 23, 2023
“It is a well-known fact that dogs get aggressive when they're hungry or feel threatened. Every feeder in your locality is probably saving 10s of people from a locality from dog bites because the local municipality does not care about feeding, sheltering, and neutering them,” X user Balram Vishwakarma wrote.
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It is a well-known fact that dogs get aggressive when they're hungry or feel threatened. Every feeder in your locality is probably saving 10s of people from a locality from dog bites because the local municipality does not care about feeding, sheltering, and neutering them.— Balram Vishwakarma (@Balram1801) October 23, 2023
Have you heard of the term birth control? Spaying ? That will take care of population. Also how about driving carefully and coexisting peacefully?— Vaibhav Suri (@VaeBaV) October 23, 2023
India is home to over 60 million stray dogs. According to Indian government data, a staggering 6.8 million Indians were bitten by stray dogs in 2020.
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