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BANGA/JALANDHAR: A 13-year-old girl’s face was badly mauled by a neighbour’s pit bull just outside her home in Gandhi Nagar locality of Banga in Punjab’s Nawashahr district late on Saturday evening. The canine crushed the bones of the victim, Tanjna Gulati’s nose and damaged it almost completely. It even tore a part of her upper lip during the attack.

Tanjna was operated upon by a plastic surgeon in Jalandhar on Monday, but she would have to undergo more procedures in a couple of stages for complete repair and reconstruction of her damaged face. “Her nose was almost completely torn and a small part of her upper lip was missing. Her bones too have been damaged. We have done the first surgery to repair and reconstruct the damaged parts, but she would have to undergo two-three more procedures in different stages. Still there is possibility that residual marks would remain despite best of our efforts,” said the plastic surgeon, Dr Puneet Pasricha said.

The owner of the canine, Daulat Singh has two pit bulls at home and had promised to send them away from the locality after the same dog had bitten another child in the neighbourhood some six months ago, according to the teen’s neighbours.

“The girl had gone to a temple on Saturday evening with her aunt and had just returned when the furious dog attacked her. The dog owner, Daulat Singh had come home and was parking his bike in the courtyard of his residence and the gate was open when the pit bull rushed out. First, it headed towards my grandson who was saved by former municipal councillor Amarjeet Singh’s wife minding her husband’s shop. Then he attacked Tanjna,” said Balbir Raj Sharma, a neighbour of the victim’s family.

“The same dog had bitten my grandson around six months ago and he had to undergo treatment. I wanted to get its owner booked, but Daulat Singh and his family apologised and said they would send their pit bulls away. However, they did not keep their word. Local residents have always been fearful of the two ferocious dogs, but that did not move the owners,” said former councillor Amarjeet Singh.

Tanjna’s father Harmesh Kumar Gulati runs a small sweet shop and is just able to make both ends meet.

No case has been filed by the police as yet and there are no details about the dogs, which have been sent away by the owner from the locality. The municipal authorities too have taken no action and haven’t even seized the pit bull.

Banga SHO Gopal Krishan told TOI that an ASI had been sent to hospital in Jalandhar to record the statement of the victim’s family. “We shall register the case after recording their statement,” he said.

