Dog bites: Civic body releases advisory
In view of dog-bite cases, the Srinagar Municipal Corporation has issued a public advisory asking people to keep children away from dogs. “Never go up to a strange dog. Don’t look directly into dogs eyes. They take direct eye contact as a challenge for power and control. Never go near a dog that is eating, sleeping, or a dog that is taking care of puppies,” the advisory said. It advised people to stay away from aggressive dogs. “If you are confronted with an extreme situation, don’t run away or scream at a dog, stand still and cross your arms over the chest and look away from the dog and don’t panic and let the animal sniff around you,” it said.
Lawyers booked for pasting posters
The police have registered an open FIR against lawyers and their agents for pasting posters in a Srinagar court complex in which Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and JKLF founder Mohammad Maqbool Bhat were compared with freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Chandrashekhar Azad. The posters pasted on February 9 had the message that Maqbool and Bhat were heroes of Kashmir, while Bhaghat, Sukhdev and Azad were the heroes of India.
The Batamaloo police station registered the case under section 13 of Unlawful Activities Act. The FIR states that pasting the posters of Guru, Bhat and militants amounts to challenging the sovereignty of India.
Boy undergoes complex stem cell transplant
The Department of Medical Oncology of the SK Institute of Medical Sciences has successfully conducted pediatric autologous stem cell transplant on a five-year-old child suffering from neuroblastoma. The transplant on Rather Azan was conducted by Dr Huma, who is the first female oncologist at the institute. Azan has completed 100 days post-transplant without any complication.
Dr Huma said the transplant is performed in patients suffering from blood-related diseases like multiple myeloma, neuroblastoma, leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and Hodgkin lymphoma. In an autologous transplant, stem cells are collected from the patient before they are harvested, frozen, stored and given back to the patient after intensive therapy.
Abandoned baby gets new home
Last month, a baby wrapped in a polythene bag was found abandoned at the premises of the Kashmir Valley’s Lal Ded Hospital in Srinagar. The baby was bitten by dogs before being rescued by a laboratory assistant of the hospital. Fortunately, the injuries were not grievous. A childless couple visited the hospital and expressed their desire to adopt the baby boy. After completing all the legal formalities, the couple adopted the baby this week.
Fayaz Wani
Our correspondent in Jammu and Kashmir
fayazwani123@gmail.com