‘I Was Equally Disturbed’: Aaditya Thackeray Slams Handling Of Dogs During Niphad Protest In Nashik

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray has condemned the handling of stray dogs during a protest in Maharashtra, saying such treatment does not align with his party’s principles. His reaction came after a video of the incident surfaced on social media.

Thackeray said the video was shared by a Yuva Sena office-bearer from Ahilyanagar, who had protested against more than 470 dog-bite incidents reported in the city over the past five months and alleged inaction by civic authorities.

Thackeray issues stern warning

While acknowledging concerns over the administration’s failure to address the dog-bite problem and provide proper shelters and care for stray animals, Thackeray said the protest should not have involved mistreating the dogs.

“I have been equally disturbed by the video and have issued a stern warning to the office-bearer,” Thackeray said, adding that he had asked him to apologise and ensure that such protests were not repeated.

“This does not go with the Party line at all,” he said.

Thackeray later said the office-bearer had apologised and expressed regret, while assuring that such an incident would not happen again.

Stray dogs released during protest

The reaction came after an unusual protest at the Niphad Nagar Panchayat office in Nashik, where activists allegedly released four to five stray dogs inside the civic administration premises.

The protest, led by Yuva Sena district chief Vikram Randhave, was aimed at highlighting what activists described as the Nagar Panchayat’s failure to tackle the stray-dog problem. Protesters also placed a currency-note garland on Chief Officer Dhiraj Bhamre’s desk.

Activists claimed repeated complaints over dog bites had failed to prompt effective action and demanded sterilisation, vaccination and proper shelter measures to address the issue.