At a time when increasing incidents of dog attacks has rattled the Sitapur city of Uttar Pradesh, a state minister on Saturday turned his back on the matter and said the government cannot be held responsible for the same.
Uttar Pradesh Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna's statement comes after 14 children in the city and its adjacent areas were mauled to death by stray dogs.
"If an animal enters somewhere and bites someone, so how do the government and the administration are responsible?" the minister said.
The menace began on May 1, when stray dogs began to attack children in Sitapur and nearby areas. To tackle with the issue, the Sitapur administration had called a dog catcher team from Mathura but it was later sent back.
Around 22 villages in Khairabad block of the district are affected by the dog menace.
Since November, 14 kids have reportedly been killed and several others have been injured in such attacks.
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The incidents have led to a formation of a committee by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
"Effective action should be taken by forming joint teams comprising officials of the police department, animal health department, nagar palika and nagar panchayat. A team of experts from Lucknow and Bareilly should be called, and a probe be done in this regard," Adityanath had said.
The administration had also announced that drones and night vision binoculars would be used to track the dogs and observe their activities.
According to district administration there are around 100 savage dogs, out of which 22 have been captured and sent to Lucknow, where their behaviour will be studied.