Ahmedabad's dog menace: Even graves of kids not spared

It seems the trouble with stray dogs is not limited to dog bites alone. Many of them have desecrated tombs particularly those of children. Those in the know how said that dogs dig out graves of children in graveyards and carry the bodies away. Though not frequent, such incidents have been reported in the recent past.

"The issue is of grave concern as the sentiments of the people are involved," said Imran Khedawal, corporator from Jamalpur. He said that children are not buried in deep graves making it easier for the dogs to dig the bodies out. Some times dog menace in the graveyards results in horrifying experience for the residents of surrounding areas.

"In one such incident in Chhipa Jamat Kabrastan on Gita Mandir Road, a body of a buried child was dragged to a road by a dog," said Khedawala.

The last rites of the bodies that are dug out by dogs are performed again, he said. The dog menace incidents are not limited to Chhipa Jamat Kabrastan. "Such incidents have also been reported from Bukhari Kabrastan, Char Toda Kabrastan and graveyard of Patni community," said Khedawala. Although security arrangements are made at the graveyard, it is quite difficult to control the dog menace. "The dogs come during the night and dig out the new graves. As it is very dark in the graveyard, it is very difficult to keep a constant eye for the dogs," said Razakbhai, watchman at Chhipa Jamat Kabrastan.

He also said that during the day, dogs do not enter the graveyard. Khedawala, who also happens to be member of Health Committee of AMC, said that everyone talks of sterilisation of dogs and animal birth control, but no one is bothered about the rising cases of dog bites in the city.

"Sterilisation may help control the dog population but it will not stop dog bite cases," he said. He said that the civic body needs to think of out-of-the-box solution for the problem.