Dibrugarh: A woman teacher engaged in census enumeration work was injured after she was allegedly attacked by a pet dog, reportedly a German Shepherd, in Ward 7 of Dergaon town in Golaghat district of Assam on Tuesday afternoon.Trishna Jyoti Saikia, a teacher at Dergaon Girls’ Higher Secondary School, was conducting house enumeration alone when the dog allegedly pounced on her. According to Saikia, the dog had been left unleashed by its owner, Junti Bora, who was not at home at the time.The attack left Saikia semi-conscious and caused deep wounds to her right leg and scratch injuries to both hands. Tenants at the rented house where the dog was kept rescued her and took her to a nearby hospital. Doctors put 16 stitches in her leg, according to Saikia.“I was simply going about my duty, moving from house to house, when the dog suddenly attacked me near the gate without any warning. I could not even react in time. The pain was unbearable, and for a moment I thought I would collapse on the road. I became semi-conscious,” Saikia said.After receiving medical treatment, Saikia filed a complaint at Dergaon police station naming Bora as the dog’s owner.“Census workers, especially women, are moving through unfamiliar lanes and homes every day. If pet owners keep dangerous dogs unleashed and unsupervised, someone could face far worse than what happened to me,” she said.Saikia said she did not want the owner punished but wanted the owner to recognise the risk of leaving the animal unleashed. “My complaint was only meant to make the owner aware of the conduct and the dangers of keeping dogs unsupervised. I had no other intention,” she said.However, the dog owner could not be reached for her response.Section 291 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) deals with negligent conduct with respect to an animal. It provides for imprisonment of up to six months, a fine of up to Rs 5,000, or both, when a person knowingly or negligently fails to take adequate measures with an animal in their possession to guard against probable danger to human life or probable grievous hurt. Whether the provision applies in this case would depend on the facts and the findings of the police and the court.
