Beed: Panic gripped Parli Vaijnath town on Wednesday after suspected rabid stray dogs went on a biting spree across multiple localities, injuring at least 47 people, including children, women and senior citizens. The sudden attacks triggered widespread public outrage over the municipal council’s handling of the town’s stray dog crisis.
The rampage began on Wednesday morning along Vaijnath Temple Road, Bhoi Galli and 40-Feet Road, and quickly spread to Barkat Nagar, Sathe Nagar, Ambewes, Zam Zam Park and Azad Nagar. In Ganeshpar, a stray dog entered the local civic hospital premises and bit a staff member, a schoolchild and another resident.
Victims reported being attacked primarily by two aggressive dogs -- a golden-coloured stray and a black dog operating around the temple precinct.
Meanwhile, 27 patients were discharged after primary wound dressing and vaccination, while 19 were referred to the Swami Ramanand Teerth Rural Government Medical College and Hospital (SRTRGMCH), Ambajogai, for specialised treatment, according to Dr Arun Gutte, Medical Superintendent of the Parli Vaijnath Sub-District Hospital.
Santosh Rode, Deputy Chief Officer of the Parli Municipal Council, said municipal squads searched for the dogs but were unable to trace them. He added that a comprehensive capture drive would be launched within two days.
Nitin Bagwale, councillor in the Parli Vaijnath Municipal Council, submitted an urgent petition to Chief Officer Trimbak Kamble, demanding the immediate capture of the suspected rabid dogs.
The attacks come barely two months after the civic body conducted an Animal Birth Control (ABC) and sterilisation drive. With an estimated stray dog population exceeding 6,000, residents questioned the efficacy of the previous campaign, pointing to the high density of stray dogs in Nehru Chowk, Bajiprabhu Nagar, Mondha Market and Vidyanagar.
Responding to public backlash, Municipal Council President Padmashri Bajirao Dharmadhikari announced that a fresh sterilisation and vaccination drive would be launched immediately. She also urged citizens to register and vaccinate their pet dogs and refrain from letting them roam unattended.
