5 Lakh Child Victims of Dog Bites in 2024: NHRC Takes Cognisance

Ratna Singh (Bar and Bench) 04 March 2025

Public Interest

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) recently directed the Animal Welfare Board, Haryana to investigate dog bite cases in the State and submit an Action Taken Report (ATR).

The incident came to light after a news article published data provided by the Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying in the Lok Sabha highlighting that approximately 21,95,122 dog bite incidents were reported in 2024. While 5 lakh of the victims were children, whereas 37 deaths were recorded.

The complainant, Anubhava Shrivastava Shahai, in her letter to the NHRC highlighted the gravity of the issue, calling it a complete failure on the part of state governments.

She criticised authorities for not effectively controlling the stray dog population and flagged the issues of irregular sterilisation and inadequate infrastructure for implementing the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Guidelines.

Additionally, she said that the lack of animal shelter homes to keep aggressive and ferocious dogs under observation, as mandated by the 2023 ABC Guidelines, has worsened the situation. As a result, the stray dog population continues to grow, causing distress to citizens, she said.

She further stated that central, state, and local-level monitoring committees are either not functioning properly or may not have been constituted in every state and district.

Urging immediate action, she requested cognizance of the issue and called for notices to be issued to the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and all states to take prompt measures to protect citizens.

Taking cognizance of the same, NHRC Assistance Registrar (Law) Brijvir Singh ordered,

"Let the complaint be transmitted to the Chairman, Animal Welfare Board of India, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Faridabad, Haryana, with directions to get the allegations made in the complaint looked into and to submit an Action Taken Report within four weeks for perusal of the Commission."

It was further directed that a copy of the complaint/intimation be forwarded as an attachment for necessary action in accordance with the Commission’s directions. An Action Taken Report is requested to be submitted to the Commission within four weeks from the date of receipt of this letter.

Courtesy: Bar & Bench

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