A stray dog attack in Kalyan’s Khadakpada area has triggered panic among residents and raised questions over the civic administration’s response after a large number of people reportedly suffered dog bites within a short period.
The incident took place around the Sandeep Hotel area on Birla College Road, Kalyan West, on Sunday. Pedestrians, two-wheeler riders, autorickshaw passengers and local residents were reportedly targeted as the dog moved through nearby roads, lanes and residential areas.
According to local accounts, the attacks began at around 2 pm near Sandeep Hotel. The dog allegedly chased people and attacked them from behind before moving towards surrounding areas, including Birla College Road, the Old RTO Office and Bhoirwadi.
The situation caused considerable concern among residents, with many parents reportedly keeping their children indoors and preventing them from using society playgrounds.
Rukminibai Hospital became a major treatment centre for people reporting dog-bite injuries. The hospital initially recorded 58 dog-bite patients on Sunday, according to civic records.
The affected patients reportedly suffered injuries ranging from scratches and nail marks to bleeding and deep wounds. Those requiring more intensive treatment were admitted, while others were discharged after receiving medical care and anti-rabies injections.
An 11-year-old girl was among those injured in the attacks. Due to the seriousness of her injuries, she was shifted to Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital, commonly known as Sion Hospital, in Mumbai, for further treatment.
KDMC officials said patients with serious wounds were being treated with rabies immunoglobulin (RIG), while other victims were administered anti-rabies vaccines (ARV). Hospital authorities said sufficient stocks of the required injections were available.
The incident has since taken a new turn because of conflicting figures regarding the number of people allegedly attacked.
While official KDMC records reportedly show that 58 patients were treated for dog bites at Rukminibai Hospital on Sunday, medical officer Dr Sandeep Pagare was reported as telling media organisations that between 110 and 130 people had been bitten.
The discrepancy reportedly prompted KDMC Medical Health Officer Dr Deepa Shukla to issue a show-cause notice to Dr Pagare.
According to reports citing the notice, the civic administration questioned how the substantially higher figure was communicated when the hospital’s records showed 58 patients had received treatment. Dr Pagare was reportedly asked to explain the discrepancy within 24 hours.
The administration also questioned the process through which the higher figure was shared with the media, stating that municipal officials are expected to coordinate media responses through the relevant department head, municipal commissioner or public relations department.
The controversy has added to residents’ concerns about how the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation handled the incident.
Local residents reportedly alleged that complaints and requests for help were not acted upon quickly enough. Some also questioned why the municipal dog-catching operation was not initiated immediately after reports of multiple attacks and hospital admissions emerged.
The incident has also renewed scrutiny of KDMC’s stray-dog sterilisation and vaccination programme. The civic body spends money on sterilisation and anti-rabies measures, but residents have questioned whether these measures are sufficient to prevent aggressive or potentially rabid dogs from posing a threat in populated areas.
Following the attacks, KDMC Commissioner Abhinav Goyal and Mayor Harshali Thavil inspected the dog sterilisation and vaccination centre at Patripul.
Thavil said civic teams had been working to catch dogs in the affected areas and that captured animals were being vaccinated against rabies. She also said officials had been instructed to accelerate sterilisation efforts.
Authorities are expected to continue monitoring the affected areas and take measures to prevent further incidents.
At the time of the reports, authorities had not publicly confirmed whether the dog believed to be responsible for the attacks had been captured.
The incident has highlighted the need for a quick response to complaints involving potentially aggressive or rabid stray dogs, particularly in densely populated residential and public areas.
For Kalyan residents, the immediate concern remains public safety, while the conflicting casualty figures have created a second issue: determining exactly how many people were affected and how the figure of 110–130 victims was calculated.
The KDMC’s show-cause notice to the medical officer could provide further clarity once the administration receives and examines his response.
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