It took the power minister nearly 21 hours to call on the family of a poor fisherwoman, mauled to death by stray dogs, less than 25 km from here.
It took the power minister nearly 21 hours to call on the family of a poor fisherwoman, mauled to death by stray dogs, less than 25 km from here.
By the time power minister Kadakampally Surendran reached the accident site, the victim was buried at the local cemetery.
Mr Surendran, who represents nearby Kazhakoottam constituency, visited an injured person in hospital and called on the bereaved family around 6 pm. But the visit left the bereaved family members and local people seething with anger as he didn’t announce any relief on behalf of the government.
“There is resentment among locals over the failure of the government machinery to provide help in time. Not just this, the official response to any mishap occurring at sea and coastal villages is delayed — the poor and the marginalised are always neglected,” said Father Eugene H. Pereira, vicar-general of the Thiruvananthapuram archdiocese.
He added the stray dog menace should be taken seriously, as in many cases, children are also the victims. However, he lauded response from the local panchayat.
Silvamma, 65, wife of the late Chinnappan, was attacked by around 50 stray dogs as she came out of the house to relieve herself near the Pulluvila coastal village on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram at around 7.30 pm on Saturday.
Sadly, the house has no toilet. Hearing her cries, her son Selvaraj came out to help but the pack pounced on him, driving him to the sea.
The attack continued for around 15 minutes, during which the woman’s skull was battered. Her hands and toes were bitten off. Locals chased away the dogs with glass bottles.
The victim was taken to Neyyatinkara Taluk Hospital where she was declared brought dead. She leaves behind two sons.
The Kanjiramkulam police said that around four hours after the attack, another woman Daisy, 52, who lives 400 metres away from Silvamma’s house, was also attacked. The woman is recuperating from serious injuries on legs and hands at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College. Early morning, revenue officials, led by the Neyyatinkara Tehsildar, visited the spot.
