A minor girl was bitten by a dog inside a lift of a posh group housing society in Noida, with city residents seeking penalties on owners for allowing off-leash canines in common areas of societies.
The incident took place at the Lotus 300 society in Sector 107 on May 3 and a purported video of the episode surfaced on social media on Wednesday.
In the video, the around 10-year-old girl is seen inside a lift alone. When the doors open, an off-leash pet dog enters and bites her on her right arm. Soon, the dog's owner follows and takes the canine away.
The petrified girl, visibly in pain, is seen shaking her hand vigorously as she frantically presses the lift button to close its doors. Moments later, the dog returns but fails to enter as the elevator doors shut just in time.
There were sharp reactions to the video, with people expressing anguish over the incident.
Responding to the PTI Video on X, Rajiva Singh, president of the Noida Federation of Apartment Owners Association (NOFAA), said, "Strict enforcement needed. Heavy penalties on dog owners if they can't keep the pet on a leash in common areas of the society."
Another X user Ishan Joshi wrote, "Oh dear, just look at her! Without face cap/mask and leash, dogs should not be strictly allowed in public places or such common areas."
Some social media users even called for jailing the dog's owner.
One of them objected to the use of the word "attack" and suggested that "humans need classroom lectures on Animal Welfare Laws! Especially Noida's unaware and reckless citizens".
In January this year, the owner of a German Shepherd dog was booked by police after it bit a domestic help at the Galaxy Royal Society in the Gaur City 2 area of Noida Extension, also known as Greater Noida (West).
In October last year, a retired IAS officer was assaulted by a group of residents in the posh Parx Laureate society of Noida's Sector 108 after an argument broke out between them when he objected to sharing the lift with a dog.
The same month, Noida police booked a resident of Gijhore village after his Dogo Argentino mauled a stray canine to death. The police had taken suo motu cognisance of the matter after a purported video of the incident surfaced on social media.
