Stray dogs bite around 150 people near Kalyan railway station
Around 150 people were reportedly bitten by stray dogs near Kalyan railway station on Monday, seeking treatment at the civic-run Rukminibai Hospital. The surge in attacks follows a similar incident on Sunday, prompting the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) to announce an expanded neutering and vaccination drive across all wards.
Victims described sudden attacks by stray dogs in the area on Monday morning. Nitin Amlate was walking toward Kalyan station to catch a train to work when a dog bit his leg from behind before biting four other pedestrians ahead of him. Amlate received tetanus and rabies vaccines at Rukminibai Hospital. Another victim, Aniket Kamble, was returning home after getting off a train when he was bitten by a dog that subsequently attacked three to four other people. Kamble reported waiting three hours in a long queue at Rukminibai Hospital for injections.
Out-of-town travelers were also affected. Ram Ashok Patil, who arrived in Kalyan from Varanasi on Monday morning en route to Belgaum, was bitten when he stepped out to eat. Patil claimed that after waiting over two hours at Rukminibai Hospital, he was told the facility lacked the required medicines or injections and that he would need to be admitted. He chose to leave for Belgaum without treatment.
The incidents follow a widespread biting spree on Sunday in the Khadakpada area. Staff at Rukminibai Hospital reported that over 130 people sought treatment on Sunday, including an 11-year-old girl who was initially in critical condition and transferred to Sion Hospital in Mumbai, where she is now out of danger. However, a KDMC press release placed Sunday's victim count at 58.
Umesh Borgaonkar, a Shiv Sena (UBT) councillor, stated that a search team located and captured one dog linked to Sunday's attacks near the Chikanghar police chowki at 1:45 am on Monday. Borgaonkar suggested that a rabies-infected dog may have bitten other dogs, causing multiple animals to turn aggressive, and urged the civic body to establish a dedicated cell equipped with distance-tranquilising tools.
In response, KDMC Commissioner Abhinav Goel inspected a dog shelter in Kalyan on Monday and announced expanded control measures. Starting Wednesday, municipal teams consisting of dog catchers, veterinary doctors, and surgeons will visit all wards to identify rabid dogs and carry out vaccinations and neutering. Goel stated that an NGO has been appointed to manage the city's estimated 80,000 stray dogs, with a daily target of neutering and vaccinating 50 to 55 animals.
