Senior journalist injured after chased outside office; scribes term situation ‘scary’
Rehan Qayoom Mir
Srinagar, Aug 17 :
Getting to work turned into a run for safety for journalists at Srinagar’s Press Colony on Monday, after a pack of stray dogs chased senior journalist and Kashmir Monitor newspaper founder Zafar Meraj outside his office.
Meraj fell while trying to escape and sustained injuries, but was not bitten.
The episode has also left other journalists concerned.
Umar Ganie, a photojournalist with Kashmir Monitor, told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that he was forced to avoid the main entrance and enter his office through the back door as the dogs continued to remain around the premises.
“The dogs have created a scary situation here. I had to enter the office through the back door today,” Ganie said.
Later, SMC workers reached the spot and removed two dead puppies lying in front of a newspaper office, while their mother remained there. “The mother dog in front of the newspaper office is aggressive and cannot be relocated,” an SMC worker who arrived with a dog-catching van said.
The incident has once again highlighted the stray-dog menace in Press Colony, where journalists and other employees have repeatedly raised concerns over the presence of stray dogs.
Last week, a correspondent of JKNS and Daily Gadyal was bitten by stray dogs near the R2 quarters in Press Colony.
KNO had earlier reported that the SMC’s Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme had been affected due to outsourcing issues, with officials saying the sterilisation drive would resume once the process is completed—(KNO)