BENGALURU: Mauled by a pack of stray dogs in front of his house in Vibhutipura on Wednesday afternoon, 11-year-old Class 6 student Praveen is in Manipal Hospital’s ICU in an unconscious state and on a life support system.
His inconsolable mother Murugamma has been waiting since Wednesday afternoon for her son to open his eyes, so she can say a few comforting words to him. “Please pray for my son. He dances so well, he is so good in cultural activities. He never quarrels with anyone and is friends with everyone. Everyone in my locality likes him,” she said, as she wept uncontrollably.
Manohar, the father of Praveen, is livid as he tells The New Indian Express that the dogs were attracted by discarded meat near their house, about which he and other residents had repeatedly alerted the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to clear, but they did not.
Mayor Sampath Raj has admitted it is the dumping of meat discards at Vibuthipura Lake that led to a large number of dogs thronging the area.The unsuspecting Praveen, a student of Government Higher Primary School, Vibhutipura, was pounced upon by the strays on Wednesday when he moved out of his house, not knowing that the dogs were fighting with each other to get the meat strewn around.
The attack had taken place when his parents were at work in Manipal Hospital where their son is now admitted. They are employed as house-keeping staff at the hospital.In a knee-jerk reaction to the attack, the BBMP started picking up dogs late Wednesday afternoon, and then resumed early Thursday morning.
Meanwhile, Dr Anoop Amarnath, Chief of Clinical Services, Manipal Hospital, said, “All the anti-rabies antigens and endo globulins have been given to Praveen. He is also on antibiotics for infections.”
Manipal Hospital management said the focus was on medical care of the child and the financial aspects haven’t been dwelt upon.