Lucknow, Dec 11 (IANS): A 40-year-old woman has been seriously injured after being allegedly bitten by a pack of dogs in Lucknow's Jankipuram Extension area.
She was admitted to a private hospital from where she was later discharged after treatment.
Rihanna Asif, a resident of Shristi apartment, was on an evening walk along with her father-in-law at 9 p.m. when the latter got exhausted and sat on a bench on the premises.
"I had moved about 200 metre when suddenly a pack of six dogs started barking at me. Terrified, I tried to shoo the dogs away, but one of them attacked me," Rihanna said and added that soon after she fell down, the entire pack attacked her and started biting her.
"A dog nibbled on my toes and tried to pull out a chunk of flesh. Others tried to bite on my thigh and waist," she said.
Hearing her cries, a neighbour along with her father-in-law chased the dogs away and rushed her to the hospital.
Rihanna told reporters, "Growling of the dogs is still echoing in my ears. Had my neighbour and my father-in-law not come to my rescue, I would have died in the attack."
Shristi apartment residents accused the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) for being negligent.
"Seven such incidents have taken place in just a year," said a resident.
Locals said that LMC left these dogs after sterilisation in the same area from where they were lifted, making them more aggressive.
Meanwhile, Chief Veterinary Officer, LMC, Abhinav Verma, said, "Most of the dogs of the area have been sterilised."
Rajneesh Chandra, a private veterinarian, said, "Often after sterilisation, a dog needs about 45 days to start behaving normally. During this period, they can turn aggressive. Agencies should take this point into consideration before leaving them."
Besides, he said, people usually give biscuits and breads to stray dogs without knowing that it can trigger electrolyte imbalance in them and make them aggressive. He also pointed out if a dog is suffering from diseases like leptospirosis, listeria or ticks, it can bite people.