Location: Puthur, Kollam, Kerala

Date: 22 April 2018 to 24 April 2018

Nature of Issue: New born baby’s death due to an alleged attack by a pack of dogs

FIAPO's action: Worked with district police chief and district collector to ensure vigilance against killing of dogs, in the wake of newspaper reports.

Response of the government: The government investigated the case and found it to be one irresponsible media reporting, where the veracity of the case was unconfirmed – the pack of dogs was just found next to an already dead baby.

A Brief Insight into the Case

A recent case occurred in Kollam - https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thiruvananthapuram/kerala-body-of-newborn-found-with-hands-legs-bitten-off-by-stray-dogs/articleshow/63858246.cms, where the body of a newborn child without hands or legs was found dead near a pack of dogs, alleging that the baby was killed.

FIAPO preventively worked with the District Police Chief as well as the District Collector of Kollam, to ensure that calm was maintained and that the case was handled in a strictly legal manner. This was to ensure that it did not escalate into a situation where street dogs were killed, especially given Kerala’s troubled history with dogs. The officials confirmed with us that it was not a case of the dogs biting and killing the child, but one where the dogs were just standing near an already dead child. This pointed to a case of irresponsible reporting by the media – the kind that has stoked an anti-dog frenzy in the past, in Kerala and elsewhere. FIAPO encourages unbiased reporting based on verified facts and are in touch with media houses in different states to ensure the same.

Read the letter sent to District Collector, Kollam here.

Read the letter sent to District Police Chief, Kollam here.