Kasaragod: A man in Kerala sports an air gun, while escorting his children to school to protect them from stray dog attacks. Many instances of stray dog attacks have been grabbing headlines in the state for the last few days.
A video has gone viral on social media featuring the man, identified as Sameer, and his children from the Kasaragod district of the state. In the video, walking in front of his children, he says that he will shoot any dog if it attacks his children.
It is his responsibility as a father to protect his children, he told a TV channel. He said that there was a stray dog issue in the area and his neighbours stopped sending their children to school.
He said, "A madrasa student was bitten by a stray dog the other day. So, all the children here were scared to go out and walk to the madrasa. So, I decided to give them security."
"I'm not afraid of legal action, as I don't kill any dog. But if any dog attacks, I will have to shoot it for self-protection," he said, adding that an air gun requires no license.
Meanwhile, police said that they were aware of the incident, but no complaint has been lodged on the matter so far.
After there were many reports of stray dog attacks surfaced in the state, the High Court of Kerala made an intervention and issued a bunch of directions to implement Animal Birth Control (ABC) measures and vaccination of dogs. The court also reminded the state that it is its obligation to protect the citizens as well as warning them against taking the law into their hands, PTI reported.
Amid mounting criticism of the government's inability to control the canine population or instil confidence regarding the efficacy of the anti-rabies vaccine, the state government and its various authorities have initiated steps to address the menace on a war footing.
In an effort to allay public fears, the government announced measures, including a State-wide mass vaccination campaign from September 20 to October 20 for vaccinating stray and pet dogs and opening more Animal Birth Control centres.