PANAJI
Expressing grief over the death of 7-year-old boy in a Pit bull attack, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said the State government will issue a notification charging dog owners with murder in case of a fatal attack on people.
The chief minister said that the government will also make it mandatory for owners of such dogs to submit an affidavit taking full responsibility for any incidents.
Speaking to reporters in Sanquelim on Saturday, Sawant said some people have a hobby of keeping aggressive dogs as pets in their homes.
“I feel really sorry for the child who lost his life because of an aggressive dog. These dog owners should then be held responsible in case their dogs cause the death of common man,” said Sawant.
The chief minister said he would send out a note to administration to issue a notification within next 8-10 days stating that the aggressive dogs will not be permitted to be kept in the houses.
“Those who still wish to keep such aggressive dogs in their houses will have to give affidavit mentioning that they will be fully responsible if they attack a common man. The government will take such dog bite cases seriously, and ensure maximum punishment to the owner of aggressive dogs,” said Sawant.
“The State government is keen to make Goa a rabies-free State and to achieve this goal, stringent punishment will have to be meted out to owners of aggressive dogs,” he added.
It is likely that the government could impose mandatory registration for all dogs imported to Goa, especially the 23 dangerous breeds identified by the Centre. “It is difficult to ban these breeds due to court orders, but we can impose restrictions, and this is one of them,’ sources said adding that a crucial meeting scheduled next week will decide on the proposal.
In a tragic incident, a 7-year-old boy lost his life on Thursday after being attacked by a Pit bull at a residence in Anjuna where his mother was employed as a housekeeper.
The horrific event had occurred when the boy accompanied his mother to her workplace.
The child was in the house while his mother performed her duties as a domestic help when the homeowner’s pet dog, a Pit bull, suddenly lunged at the boy. The dog viciously mauled the child, biting him on the cheek, neck, arms, and legs, leaving him severely injured and bleeding profusely. The child later succumbed to injuries at the Goa Medical College Hospital in Bambolim.
Acting on a complaint filed by the boy’s father, who alleged that Khwaja’s negligence in keeping the dog unleashed was responsible for the tragic incident. Anjuna Police arrested Abdul Kader Khwaja, the owner of a Pit bull, on charges of negligence and for allegedly leaving his pet dog unleashed at his residence.
Khwaja has been arrested under Section 106(1) of the BNS and Section 8 of the Children’s Act.
While Section 106(1) is a bailable offence, Section 8 of the Children’s Act is non-bailable. The accused is currently in police custody.
