Court orders dog-bite FIRs against district officers

A district and sessions court in Ghotki ordered on Friday the registration of FIRs against the district's municipal officers for all dog-bite cases occurring there between October 27 and November 9.

The court's orders are in compliance with the Sindh High Court (SHC) Sukkur bench's directives on October 21, which told the police to register FIRs against chief municipal officers for each dog-bite incident that occurred in their municipalities.

The SHC had also asked the deputy commissioners of each district to monitor the campaign and the municipal officers to submit weekly reports in the local courts. Following the district court's directives, the Ghotki SSP told all relevant SHOs to register the cases. According to a report submitted by health authorities in court, as many as 165 dog-bite incidents had been reported in the taluka hospitals of Ghotki, Khanpur Mahar, Ubauro, Daharki and Mirpur Mathelo from October 27 to November 9.

Fifty cases each were reported in the hospitals in Ghotki and Daharki, 38 in Khanpur Mahar, 10 in Ubauro and eight in Mirpur Mathelo. The rest of the patients were brought to Ghotki's hospitals from the neighbouring districts. The FIRs will be lodged under Sections 289 and 290 of Pakistan Penal Code, with the former punishable with up to six months imprisonment and entailing loss of employment in case of conviction.

It reads, "Whoever knowingly or negligently omits to take such order with any animal in his possession as is sufficient to guard against any probable danger to human life, or any probable danger of grievous hurt from such animal, shall be punished." At least two similar FIRs have already been lodged in Matiari and Hyderabad districts. A child who had been mauled by a dog died in Matiari earlier this week. The Hyderabad commissioner on Friday also directed the district administrations in the division's nine districts to launch a culling campaign for stray dogs.