Dear all,
Based on a very reliable source of information from someone who has observed the goings on at Bhawans, I wish to go on record about the half told and misreported episode of the dog bite event that happened last week at the Bhawans school at Vadodara.
The actual events unfolded as follows: the girl child was going from one class to another when she accidentally stepped on the tail of a sleeping dog. The dog barked suddenly and jumped in self defense (which resulted in the minor injury), in response to which four other dogs started barking too. The girl ran in panic (not chased by any dog) and hit her head against a tree resulting in an injury. This injury accounted for the alleged “mauling by a pack of stray dogs.”
Everyone at the Bhawans, be it the authorities or the parents, are aware that the stray dogs had nothing to do with the incident and that the Management was bad and the parents wanted the principal and the vice principal out. To get their long pending demands met by the otherwise deaf Management, the parents needed just one spark which the above incident provided.
Due to this hatred campaign against the street dogs by the media, (exaggeration ranging from mauling, one bite to eighteen bites to twenty bites, one child bitten to three children bitten) irreparable damage has been done to the cause of animal welfare and peaceful mutual co-existence. It has been a huge set back to the ongoing Animal Birth Control programme and biggest of all, has resulted in the spread of hatred against stray dogs. The minds of innocent young children have been poisoned forever against stray dogs.
Humanity has indeed gone down the drain, to the extent that the stray dogs were made a scapegoat. I hope it is realized how the misreporting of facts has ripped apart the feeling of compassion and spread hatred among the people in Vadodara for stray dogs! The relentless campaign against stray dogs shows just how much man can stoop to achieve his goals.
On behalf of the stray dogs and the enraged animal welfare fraternity, I have demanded an apology from the media for misreporting facts, Municipal Corporation for coming out with circulars that blatantly violate the law without looking into the real picture and the Bhawans authorities for making the dogs a scapegoat.
For everyone who is astonished and appalled by this misreported event that has done damage beyond imagination to the cause of animal welfare in Vadodara, please write to the authorities asking for an apology.
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Dear fellow animal lovers,
I write to you to seek your support to withdraw a circular (No. 55/2014-15) released by the Nagar Prathmik Shikshan Samiti, Vadodara Municipal Corporation dated 21st of July. It came in response to a dog biting episode that occurred in one of the premier schools of Vadodara.
The circular reads as follows when translated to English, “Sub: Animals roaming in the school compound. This is for the information of the Principal/In-charge of all the primary schools run by the Samiti (Nagar Prathmik Shikshan Samiti) that animals like dogs, cows, buffaloes etc are found roaming in the compounds of the schools run by the Samiti. To maintain cleanliness in the schools and for the welfare of the students, no animals are to be allowed in the school. This information is to be conveyed to the schools and the class IV employees. If these orders are not followed and any student suffers any problem, the responsibility shall lie with the Principal of the school. Let it be specially noted.”
In immediate response to this, we received a call from one of the Corporation run schools, where four of our dogs have been living for the past eight years, asking to remove the dogs from their premises.
Now the matter has gone upto the Collector and the District Education Officer has been instructed to carry out inspections in all the schools of Vadodara and submit the report within this one month. The authorities are playing very safe by not mentioning anything against the dogs in the media but are doing the needful in the most discreet manner possible, a proof of which is this circular. Also, one of the key officials of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation, who does not wish to go on record, has told that there is immense political pressure on the authorities to take action against stray dogs.
I would also like to bring to your notice that the fundamental issues were quality of food, infrastructure development, formation of PTA, security problems with regard to which parents of the said school where the biting incident took place, had long term grievances with the school management authorities. Under the broad heading of “dog attack” these issues are now being dealt with.
The Animal Welfare Board of India promptly responded to the crisis and has written to the Municipal Commissioner. Also, a very insightful article on the said issue written by Shri. Hiranmay Karlekar appeared in the Pioneer yesterday. http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnists/edit/dog-eared-solutions-and-senseless-too.html
If you could please spare a couple of minutes to write to the concerned authorities in Vadodara to withdraw the said circular, I will be grateful to you. May I also request you to write to the Times of India, who in a series of articles have ripped the cause apart.
District Collector, Vadodara: collector-vad@gujarat.gov.in
Municipal Commissioner, Vadodara: vmccomm@gmail.com
District Education Officer, Vadodara: vadodeo@gmail.com
Times Of India: readers.grievances@timesgroup.com, toieditorial@timesgroup.com, sachin.sharma@timesgroup.com
thanks and regards,
Kuhu Roy
Baroda
Hiranmay Karlekar