Stray dog attacks leave over 15 injured in Bhatkal in 70 hours
Karwar (PTI): Over the past 70 hours, more than 15 people have been injured in stray dog attacks across Bhatkal town in Uttara Kannada district, health officials said on Tuesday. No fatalities have been reported.
Most of the victims were children and elderly individuals who were bitten while walking through residential areas or marketplaces, officials added.
The attacks began on July 6 and have steadily increased since. Those injured have been treated at local hospitals, with several receiving anti-rabies vaccinations.
The rising number of incidents has triggered concern among residents, who are demanding immediate action from municipal authorities.
Many allege that earlier complaints about the growing stray dog population were ignored by civic bodies.
Officials from the Bhatkal Municipality said they are monitoring the situation and plan to launch a sterilisation and rescue drive soon.
The Animal Husbandry Department is expected to assist in identifying and removing aggressive dogs.
Public health officials have been instructed to stay vigilant amid concerns over possible rabies transmission.
An official statement from the Bhatkal municipal administration said a review meeting is likely to be held early next week to address public concerns and plan corrective measures.
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K’taka HC declines stay on menstrual leave order, says issue of public importance
Bengaluru: The State Government has strongly defended its decision to grant one day of paid menstrual leave every month to women employees, telling the Karnataka High Court that the notification was issued in the larger interest of women and is legally sound. The Court, treating the matter as one of significant public importance, refused to stay the implementation of the order and adjourned the hearing to January 20.
The Labour Department’s November 20, 2025 notification was challenged by the Bangalore Hotels Association, Avirat Defence System, Facile Aerospace Technologies Ltd and Samos Technologies Ltd. Justice Jyoti Mulimani heard the petitions on Wednesday.
At the start of the hearing, the bench asked whether the State had filed its objections. Advocate General K. Shashikiran Shetty informed the Court that objections had been submitted and that copies would be provided to the petitioners.
Defending the notification, the Advocate General said the government had introduced a progressive measure aimed at women’s welfare, one that no other state in India had implemented so far. He told the Court that 72 objections were received and considered before finalising the notification. He argued that the government was empowered to frame such policy under Article 42 of the Constitution and noted that the Supreme Court and the Law Commission had earlier made recommendations in this direction.
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When the Court asked whether the notification applied to all sectors, the Advocate General replied in the affirmative. The bench observed that the matter required detailed hearing because of its wider public impact and decided to take it up in January. The Court added that petitioners may file their responses to the State’s objections before the next hearing.
Petitioners’ counsel B.K. Prashanth requested that the State be restrained from enforcing the order until the case is decided. The Advocate General responded that the government had already begun implementing the notification across all sectors.
Justice Mulimani noted that nothing would change between now and the next hearing and emphasised that the Court would consider all arguments thoroughly before issuing any direction. The bench then adjourned the matter to January 20 and asked petitioners to file any additional applications with copies to the State’s counsel.
