THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A middle-aged fisherman was mauled to death on Monday in the coastal hamlet of Pulluvila here, where ten months ago an elderly woman died similarly.
The deceased, Josklin, was reportedly attacked by stray dogs at the Pulluvila beach around 11 pm on Sunday and was later found in a critical condition by the locals. Severely bitten, Josklin was rushed to the Government Medical College Hospital here where he succumbed to his injuries on Monday morning.
Alleging that no action has been taken to curb the stray dog menace, locals, including Josklin's wife and children, have blocked the Poovar - Thiruvananthapuram road at Pulluvila junction while the Congress party has called for a hartal in the region till 6 pm.
It was in August 2016 that 65-year-old Shiluvamma was mauled to death in the same neighbourhood. Shiluvamma was attacked by a pack of dogs, which led to a large outcry to curb the stray dog menace across Kerala.
"Over 200 people have been attacked by dogs since Shiluvamma's death 10 months ago. These cases have been reported to the police as well as the authorities concerned," said Fr. Jerome of Pulluvila.
"But except for Shiluvamma's family which received Rs 5 lakh, no compensation has been given to other victims and no solution for the stray dog menace has been taken," he said.
According to BJP leader V V Rajesh the biggest problem in the region is the lack of toilets, which minister Kadakampally Surendran had promised to build in the region after the protests.
"However, nothing has been done so far. The protests had died down with the minister's promise but the BJP will lead all possible campaigns to curb the menace. The LDF government has been an utter failure in this issue and do not seem to value human life as much as a dog's," Rajesh said.