Post-mortem points out multiple bites by dogs responsible for senior citizen’s death at Kumpala

The post-mortem of Dayananda Gatti, 60, who was found dead at Kumpala on the outskirts of Mangaluru on Friday, has reportedly revealed that he was bitten by multiple dogs, apart from the dog that was caught by the civic personnel.

The body of Mr. Gatti was found in a pool of blood inside the compound of a house. A team of forensic experts found his left eyeball lying on the ground. Initially suspected to be a murder, the police, based on the opinion of forensic experts after preliminary examination, said the death was due to dog bite.

During the post-mortem on Saturday, dog bites were found on the left side of the head, on his hands, thigh, and foot. Official sources said the bite marks appeared to be from different dogs.

The victim might have fallen on a dog which initially bit his face. Other dogs might have bitten him on other parts of the body. After being bitten, Mr. Gatti struggled to cross the road to enter the compound of a house, where he died.

Following information from local people, civic personnel caught the dog that was found moving in the locality with blood marks on its face. The dog was handed over to Animal Care Trust and it died on Friday night. Officials said samples of the dead dog has been sent to test it for rabies.

Expressing concern over the incident during the quarterly Karnataka Development Programme (KDP) Review Committee meeting here on Saturday, MLC Ivan D’Souza said that the State government should release compensation to the family members of the deceased.

Deputy Director of Animal Husbandry N. Arun Kumar Shetty said the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department has issued a circular for paying compensation of ₹5,000 for a dog bite and and ₹5 lakh for death resulting from dog bite.

Deputy Commissioner H.V. Darshan said there is no such guidelines from the Urban Development Department. “I will speak to the Urban Development Secretary and take necessary action,” he told district In-charge and Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao who presided over the meeting.

Mangaluru City Corporation Commissioner Ravichandra Nayak said as per the new guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court, urban local bodies have to create dog shelters for strays found in public places. It will take time for the MCC to find place for dog shelters, he said.

Mr. Rao tasked the committee comprising zilla panchayat Chief Executive Officer Narwade Vinayak Karbhari and Mr. Nayak of finding places for dog shelters in Mangaluru. These dogs should be fed and taken care in a proper manner, he said.