‘Had alerted CM Mann about stray dogs,’ Sukhbir Singh Badal mourns demise of Parag Desai

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief and former Punjab Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has asked Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to take necessary steps to contain the menace of stray dogs in the state after the demise of executive director of famous tea brand, Wagh Bakri Group, earlier today. Parag Desai passed away on October 23 due to brain haemorrhage after being attacked by stray dogs. 

Expressing his condolences over the death of the Wagh Bakri scion, the former Punjab CM highlighted that stray dogs have been causing ruckus in almost all cities of Punjab. He underlined that the situation has gone worse in Amritsar, asking the incumbent CM Bhagwant Mann to initiate necessary actions to avert any incident as such. 

“Saddened to learn about the tragic demise of Parag Desai, executive director of the Wagh Bakri Tea group, following a haemorrhage caused due to an attack by stray dogs outside his residence in Ahmedabad,” said Badal after the demise of Desai. “Stray dogs have become a menace in nearly all cities of Punjab, particularly Sri Amritsar Sahib. Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann should take concrete measures to stem this menace,” he added.

Apart from Sukhbir Badal, many people have highlighted the increasing menace of stray dogs. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi, claiming that Desai’s death was unavoidable, called for a pro-activity policy to handle the issues of stray dogs. She opined that active shelters need to be created for stray animals and underlined the need for their vaccination. 

Menace of stray dogs in India 

The demise of Desai has brought back the focus on stray dogs. The stray dogs have already been a target after the recent incidents- death of two siblings in Delhi’s Vasant Kunj area following attack by strays, mauling of a 4-year old child in hyderabad among others. 

As per the World Health Organisation (WHO), India has over 60 million stray dogs and accounts for around 36 per cent global deaths due to Rabies. According to the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001 the municipal bodies are responsible for sterilisation and vaccination of stray dogs to control the population of strays and are also responsible to keep their behaviour in check. However, authorities remain far behind as far as the check on strays are concerned. Experts even suggest that most municipal bodies across the country fail to take sufficient measures to adequately sterilise and vaccinate dogs. 

Parag Desai passes away during treatment 

Prominent businessman Parag Desai passed away earlier this morning at the age of 49 years, after suffering from brain haemorrhage. He was receiving treatment after being attacked by stray dogs outside his residence on October 15 in Ahmedabad. Desai reportedly fell on the roads after being pursued by stray dogs, which caused a haemorrhage. He succumbed to injuries during the course of treatment.

(With inputs from Amandeep Dixit)