Beed: A rabid stray dog created panic in Lavhuri village of Kaij tehsil after biting 14 people, including a school teacher deployed for census duty, within 24 hours.
All injured victims were first taken to Kaij Sub-District Hospital for treatment and were later shifted to Swami Ramanand Teerth Rural Government Medical College and Hospital in Ambajogai for further care.
According to Kaij Sub-District Hospital superintendent Dr Dattatraya Kendre, the dog attacked several villagers between Monday and Tuesday. He said the animal bit nine people on Monday and five more by Tuesday afternoon.
The first victim was Mangesh Govindrao Sonke, an assistant teacher at Sri Badebaba Vidyamandir Lahuri. Sonke was visiting the village as part of the 2027 national housing and population census work when the dog suddenly attacked and bit him.
Later on Monday, the dog attacked Shivaji Chalak, Ayodhya Chalak, Amol Chalak, Govardhan Chalak, Santosh Chalak, Rajebhau Chalak, Murlidhar Chalak and Sachin Chalak.
On Tuesday, five more villagers, Dattatraya Chalak, Jeevan Aute, Ashok Chalak, Mangal Ghadge and Mumtaz Shaikh, were bitten before noon.
The repeated attacks created fear across the village. Residents reportedly stayed indoors while census work and normal daily activities were disrupted.
Villagers later chased and killed the dog on Tuesday afternoon after it continued attacking people. Residents said the village felt relieved only after the animal was killed.
Meanwhile, teacher unions have raised concerns about the safety of teachers assigned to field duties for government projects such as the census. They have demanded stronger safety measures for staff working in remote rural areas.
