Stray dog attack leaves Kanpur college student with 17 stitches on her face

A 21-year-old girl was brutally attacked by stray dogs while returning home from college. The attack left her with deep facial injuries, forcing doctors to stitch her cheek with 17 sutures.

The incident occurred on August 20 in Shyam Nagar where stray dogs and monkeys were reportedly fighting. Amid the chaos, three stray dogs suddenly pounced on the student, identified as Vaishnavi Sahu, a final-year BBA student at Allen House Ruma College.

The dogs dragged her to the ground and mauled her face and body. Her right cheek was torn apart, splitting into two sections, while her nose and other parts of her body also suffered multiple bite marks. Despite her attempts to run, the dogs overpowered her again and threw her to the road.

Hearing her screams, local residents rushed with sticks and managed to chase the dogs away. By then, Vaishnavi was bleeding profusely. Her family members soon arrived and took her to Kanshiram Hospital, where she received emergency treatment. Doctors stitched her cheek and nose with 17 stitches.

Her uncle, Ashutosh, said, “Vaishnavi, the daughter of my late brother Virendra Swaroop Sahu, was returning from college when this terrifying incident happened.”

Family members revealed that the young student is now struggling even to eat or move her mouth. “She cannot eat anything, nor move her mouth. Somehow, we are giving her liquids through a straw,” they said.

Expressing anguish, the family demanded urgent government action. “The government must do something about these dogs. Either catch them and take them away or keep them in shelters. But they should be removed from the streets so that no one else’s daughter or daughter-in-law suffers like this,” the family said.

The incident comes amid an ongoing debate over the Supreme Court’s ruling on the sterilisation of stray dogs and their relocation to shelters. The ruling drew sharp reactions nationwide.

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