Man dies after attack by stray dogs in Latur; residents, kin protest outside civic headquarters

A protest erupted in Latur city, Maharashtra, after a 22-year-old man died from a stray dog attack, with residents accusing the administration of failing to control the city's stray dog population.

A protest was held at the civic headquarters in Maharashtra's Latur city on Thursday after a man died following a attack by stray dogs, an official said.

Vilas Borve (22) was mauled by stray dogs a few days ago at the local fish market, and he died while undergoing treatment in a hospital, the official added.

His kin as well as residents of the area brought his body to Latur Municipal Corporation office and shouted slogans against the administration, accusing it of not doing anything to control the rise in number of stray dogs in most localities of the city.

After the gates of the civic corporation complex were locked, protesters tried to break the locks with stones, a police official said.

Police personnel have been deployed at the site to maintain law and order, the official added.

Incidentally, the Supreme Court, in a significant verdict on Tuesday, allowed euthanasia of rabid, incurably ill, dangerous and aggressive dogs to curb threat to human lives, saying the right to live with dignity encompasses the right to move freely without the threat of harm from canines.

In a first of its kind order, the top court ruled that when the safety and lives of human beings are weighed against the interests and welfare of sentient beings, the constitutional balance must necessarily and unequivocally tilt in favour of the preservation and protection of human life.