An activist has asked the authorities to file criminal cases against Guntur municipal officials
A four-year-old boy has died after being mauled by stray dogs while playing near his house in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur district. Prem Kumar, a student of a government school, was attacked by four dogs at a field near his house at Adavitakkellapadu village, some 30 kilometres from the state's work-in-progress capital Amaravati.
People rushed to rescue the boy on hearing him scream and chased away the dogs. Police said some of them hit the animals with sticks to stop them from encircling and attacking the child again.
Doctors at Guntur Government Hospital said the boy died while he was being brought to the hospital.
Some 8,000 stray dogs roam about Guntur and as many as 400 dog bites are reported at the district hospital every month, officials said. Municipal officials say some 2,300 dogs have been sterilised and an equal number have been vaccinated.
Child rights activist Achyuta Rao of non-profit Balala Hakkula Sangam has asked the authorities to file criminal cases against municipal officials for not ensuring the stray dogs don't attack people.
Mr Rao also sought a compensation of Rs 25 lakh for the family of the boy who died in the dog attack.