Kids skip schools to avoid dog attacks

Kanpur: Residents of Pataunja village in Farrukhabad of Uttar Pradesh have decided not to send their children to school in view of attacks by ferocious stray dogs that feed on animal carcasses. The decision was taken at a panchayat held on Tuesday and most of the local schools reported a thin attendance of students on Wednesday.
The dog menace has created an atmosphere of terror and tension in the village.Nearly a dozen people, including two children, have been mauled by stray dogs in the past few days. About a fortnight ago, 12-year-old Afreen, daughter of Atiullah, was mauled to death by stray dogs at a mango orchard in the village while she was on her way back home from school, reports said.
Eleven-year-old Muqarram, son of Mohammad Tahir who lives on the outskirts of Pataunja, also met a similar fate when a pack of dogs attacked him on July 2. The boy, a student of class IV at Basic school, is recuperating at the district hospital.
Infuriated over the attacks, Pataunja residents staged a protest in front of district headquarters and held a panchayat on Tuesday where they decided not to send the kids to school from Wednesday.
As a result, more than 300 students were absent across three government schools, including Primary Girls School, Junior Girls School besides a Basic school, which are located in the village on Wednesday.
Parents accompanied children before and after school hours with 'lathis' and sticks in their hands, Pataunja residents said. "Soon we will stage a protest in front of district headqurters if the department concerned fails to ensure safety and security of our children," said Rajesh Kumar, father of a student.
"We have decided in the panchayat to not let our kids step out unless we are assured by the authorities about their safety and security," said Ballu Singh, a village panchayat member.
Basic education officer of Farrukhabad, Sandeep Chowdhary, said, "We have apprised the district authorities, who have conducted a meeting with the forest department and Nagar Palika. The forest department has been asked to identify the areas from where attacks by ferocious stray dogs have been reported. "