Ludhiana: Panic gripped Pabbian village in Jagraon after a pack of stray dogs mauled a 35-year-old migrant agricultural labourer to death in the fields late Tuesday night. His mutilated body was discovered by fellow workers on Wednesday morning.The victim, identified as Ramesh Mandal from Purnia district in Bihar, had arrived in the village recently to work in paddy transplantation for a local farmer, Harbans Singh. Mandal and his co-workers were staying in a room near the farm’s tubewell.According to the police, the labourers were sleeping on the roof of the tubewell room on Tuesday night. Late at night, Mandal received a phone call and stepped down to talk, walking toward the fields. A pack of eight to ten stray dogs roaming near a nearby carcass dumping site (hadda rodi) attacked him.ASI Sukhmander Singh, in charge of the Chowkiman police post, stated that the other labourers were asleep and did not hear Mandal’s cries for help. The dogs severely mauled his neck, face, and other body parts, causing him to die at the spot.When workers noticed Mandal missing the next morning, they launched a search and found his body in the fields. The police were immediately notified. Inquest proceedings have been initiated under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and the body was handed over to the family after legal formalities.Local sources revealed that this is the second major attack in the village recently; a few months ago, a six-year-old child was severely injured by stray dogs and had to be rushed to a hospital in Faridkot for advanced treatment.Panchayat members have advised villagers not to venture out alone at night and to carry sticks for safety. They have also urged the authorities concerned to take immediate action against the growing stray dog menace.
