New Delhi: The NHRC has issued notices to the Uttar Pradesh government, vice chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University and the city's municipal commissioner over a man being mauled to death by stray dogs inside the varsity campus, officials said on Thursday.
Safdar Ali (65), a resident of a locality adjoining the campus, was out on a morning walk in a garden at Sir Syed Museum when the dogs attacked him on Sunday.
The National Human Rights Commission, in a statement, observed that "painful incidents" such as the one reported by the media in the instant case indicate that "there is a need to review the prevailing safeguards" as this is not a problem of any one state or Union Territory, and the "situation is grim and alarming".
A clip of the incident, which was captured on a CCTV camera, went viral on social media, it said.
The NHRC has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report, carried on April 17 that in yet another incident of stray dog attack, a 65-year-old elderly man was killed in a park inside the AMU campus in Uttar Pradesh.
Expressing serious concern over the incident, the Commission has issued notices to the chief secretary, the government of Uttar Pradesh, the vice chancellor, AMU, and the commissioner of the Aligarh Municipal Corporation, seeking a detailed report within six weeks, the statement said.
The state government is expected to inform whether any relief has been given to the next of kin of the deceased, it said.
The Commission has also called for the comments of the secretary, Animal Welfare Board of India, Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying on the present status of the implementation of the provisions of law and their strategy, if any, to deal with the issue of the right to life of humans and protection from stray animals in the light of the recent increasing incidents of attack by stray animals on humans without any provocation.
The response is expected within six weeks, the statement said.
In the past too, the Commission had taken cognisance of such incidents and called for reports from the authorities.
It has been further observed that animal rights are advocated and supported in the same way as human rights because it is quite imperative to safeguard and protect animals from oppression, confinement, and abusive treatment, which they may be prone to suffer at the hands of human beings.
But on the other side, there are "constant conflicts" arising between humans and unruly animals, and these are certainly rising in number with each passing day, and that is why it is necessary for the authorities to understand the gravity and seriousness of the issue, and to take effective action in the matter, without any delay, the rights panel said.
The Supreme Court has also mentioned in its various pronouncements that there is no ambiguity that the rights to life and health of a person are inalienable rights. Therefore, there is a need to protect the right to life of a human, it added.
