Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Bhopal’s stray dog problem is worsening, with around 70–80 people reportedly bitten every day, many of them children.
On Sunday, an eight-year-old girl in Karond’s Ward-78 was severely mauled by a stray dog while returning from school. Another girl was bitten in Kapila Nagar Phase-2. Residents said packs of more than 15 dogs frequently roam the area.
In Danish Nagar’s Kunjan Nagar, around half a dozen dogs regularly gather near Vaishnav Dham Temple and a kindergarten located opposite it, creating fear among devotees and young children.
With the onset of the monsoon, experts and residents say dog packs have become more aggressive, while attacks in residential areas have raised concerns over the safety of children and pedestrians.
The Supreme Court had directed authorities in August 2025 to capture stray dogs and keep them in shelters. Bhopal is yet to establish such a shelter.
Later, Madhya Pradesh High Court took suo motu cognisance of the dog-bite issue in Bhopal. The state government is expected to submit its status report this week, following which the court will hear the matter.
Past fatal attacks raise concern
Several fatal attacks have been reported in Bhopal. In January 2024, a seven-month-old child in Minal Residency and a four-year-old child in Katara Hills died after stray-dog attacks.
Fatal incidents were also reported in Bhainsakhedi, Gautam Nagar, Awadhpuri and other areas in earlier years.
1.2 lakh stray dogs, limited sterilisation capacity
The city is estimated to have around 1.2 lakh stray dogs. Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) receives about 15 complaints related to stray dogs every day.
It has three Animal Birth Control (ABC) centres at Aravaliya, Adampur Cantonment and Kajlikheda, with a combined capacity of only around 600 dogs.
Around 20 to 25 dogs are sterilised and vaccinated daily. The corporation claims to have sterilised more than 81,000 dogs in five years and spent around Rs 8.56 crore on sterilisation and vaccination. However, Bhopal still has no permanent stray-dog shelter.
Quote
Teams are actively working to capture and sterilise stray dogs and that special drives will be conducted in sensitive areas.”
Municipal commissioner Sanskriti Jain
