30/04/2012
The streets of Srinagar, the
summer
capital of Indian-administered
Kashmir,
have witnessed much killing in the
past
two decades of conflict.
However, as the violence has
ebbed,
residents are facing an unusual
enemy -
stray dogs.
The canines have been storming
its streets,
chasing cars, pulling down bicycle
riders
and often attacking pedestrians
and school
children. In some cases, even
soldiers
patrolling the streets have
become their
target.
Health authorities say 53,925
people -
mostly children - have been bitten
by stray
dogs in the 10 districts of Indian-
administered Kashmir in the past
four
years.
Some of the victims have died of
rabies.
Records at Srinagar's Anti-Rabies
Clinic
show 12 dog bite-related deaths in
the last
three years alone.
Things have become so bad that
the Jammu
and Kashmir State Human Rights
Commission has described dog
attacks as
"violation of human rights".
|cyber|.
