At least 12 people, including a six-year-old girl, were injured in multiple stray dog attacks reported across Alandi in a single day on March 18, triggering panic and anger among residents. However, officials clarified that not all victims were attacked by the same dog.
The most shocking incident occurred in the Alandi vegetable market area, where six-year-old Pari Dnyaneshwar Udamale was attacked by a pack of stray dogs while playing. One of the dogs bit her leg, leaving her seriously injured. Local youths rushed to her rescue and managed to drive the dogs away, preventing a more serious incident.
The injured girl was immediately taken to the Alandi rural hospital for treatment.
In separate incidents reported from different parts of the town, 11 others — Avdhut Kole, Akash Hatkar, Ritesh Godke, Samyak Admukhe, Sagar Khanojia, Babasaheb Solanki, Mandabai Wagh, Sai Thakur, Rajesh Dhulgand, Ritik Kakade and Rikhai Prasad — were also bitten by stray dogs.
All the injured were treated at the Alandi rural hospital and administered anti-rabies vaccination and anti-rabies serum, officials said.
Dr Urmila Shinde, medical superintendent of the rural hospital, said, “The girl had sustained multiple grade 3 wounds on her leg, hand and stomach and was administered anti-rabies vaccine and serum.” She added that 11 other patients reported to the hospital on the same day following dog bites, but it could not be confirmed that the same pack of dogs was responsible for all the attacks.
Residents have expressed concern about the increasing number of stray dogs. They have demanded that the Alandi municipal council immediately intensify sterilisation drives and take concrete steps to control the stray dog population.
“Children are scared to step out and play. Such attacks are becoming frequent, and the authorities are not doing enough to control the situation. The aggressive dogs should be put inside the shelter homes,” said Santosh Jadhav, a resident.
Another resident, Sunita Pawar, said, “We are constantly worried, especially for elderly people and school-going children. The administration must take strict action before a bigger tragedy happens, similar to Chakan in our area.”
On March 17, Shobha Vijay Waghmare, 32, a native of Deglur in Nanded district who was currently residing in the Chakan area, was mauled by a pack of stray dogs in Chakan, raising serious concerns over the growing threat posed by stray dogs in the area.
Madhav Khandekar, chief executive officer of Alandi Municipal Council, said 12 people had reported to the hospital for treatment, of whom five were from Alandi rural areas. “After a recent incident in Chakan, vaccination and sterilisation drives have been taken up on a war footing, and the action will be intensified further in the coming days,” he said.
