Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The data sought from Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) revealed that city registered close to 2 lakh dog bite cases in last 10 years while five children died of the same in last eight years. Though the dog menace existed for almost a decade, it invited public wrath after a pack of stray dogs dragged an infant out of its hut in Ayodhya Nagar and mauled him to death recently. While Bhopal district collector Kaushalendra Vikram Singh has issued order to run a special campaign to catch stray dogs, a stray dog bit a 3-year-old child in Piplani on Sunday, which is the third such incident in last 10 days.
As for BMC, its strategies do not go as planned and dog menace remains unrestrained in the city. For instance, Hamdia Hospital and JP Hospital received over 20,000 cases of dog bite injuries in 2023, their data revealed. Almost 95% of such cases pertain to stray dog bites, while remaining 5% are of pet dog bites, sources at hospital said. The data raise eyebrows as city s dog population continue to grow though BMC spends Rs 2 crore annually on dogs vaccination and sterilisation.
Bhopal had about 35,000 stray dogs eight years ago. Their number rose to 1.5 lakh in 2024, civic body s revealed. The dog menace seems to have no end as BMC team, a few days after catching dogs, releases them in the same area from where they were caught. Stray dogs become aggressive as they don t get food easily, BMC health officer Rakesh Sharma told Free Press.
Dog love: Woman abuses BMC team, neighbour
Love for animals turned ugly when a woman abused and threatened a man after he filed a complaint against her dog for biting his son. The video went viral on social media, showing the accused woman abusing Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) team and her neighbour in public. An FIR was registered in the case. According to FIR, the incident took place in Rajiv Nagar, Piplani, on January 11 when the pet dog of Kavita Bhavnani attacked the 3-year-old son of Vikesh Kumar Yadav (30) while he was playing in colony s park.
As the accused Kavita kept her dog unleashed, Vikesh called Bhopal Municipal Corporation to catch the dog on January 14 at 9.30 pm. When BMC team reached to catch her dog, Bhavnani abused them and also the neighbour.
6 year-old b is latest victim of dog attack
A 6 year-old boy was attacked and bitten by a stray dog in Chowki Imambada of ward no-9. Locals have informed the dog squad of the BMC.Corporator Nasir Saad Bin Khalid informed Free Press, said, a six years old boy has been bitten by a dog. We have informed the BMC to catch the stray dogs. But the problem is that the municipal dog squad does not catch she dog and puppies and they are particularly very dangerous and ferocious, he added.
