NAGPUR – The city of Nagpur is once again grappling with a deeply disturbing incident highlighting the escalating danger posed by stray dogs, as a young girl was viciously attacked while playing outside her home. The assault, which left the child with severe injuries, has ignited a fresh wave of public outrage and renewed calls for urgent and effective action from civic authorities.
The horrific incident took place in the Deshpande Layout area of Trimurti Nagar. Five-year-old Nitya Mongre, the daughter of a security guard, was enjoying a carefree evening near her home when she was suddenly set upon by a pack of stray dogs. Eyewitness accounts suggest that a group of nearly a dozen dogs surrounded the child, leaving her with no escape. The dogs mauled the terrified girl, inflicting deep wounds to her hands and legs before she was rescued by a passing motorcyclist and a shopkeeper who raised the alarm. Nitya was rushed to Radhakrishna Hospital, where she is currently receiving treatment for her injuries.
This is not an isolated case; it is the latest in a series of alarming incidents that have gripped the city. Just a few weeks prior, a 12-year-old boy, Jayesh Bokhre, died after falling from the sixth floor of a residential building while being chased by a stray dog. Another recent tragedy involved a six-year-old hearing-impaired child who lost an expensive cochlear implant and sustained head injuries after being chased by a pack of dogs. These incidents paint a grim picture of a city where citizens, particularly children and the elderly, can no longer feel safe walking the streets.
Residents of Deshpande Layout and other affected areas are furious, pointing fingers at the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) for its alleged negligence. “The NMC collects taxes from us, but what about our safety?” fumed Mayur Kumbhare, a local resident. “If our children can’t even step outside without fear, who will take responsibility?” The sentiment is echoed throughout the city, with many questioning the effectiveness of the civic body’s Animal Birth Control (ABC) program. The program, which aims to sterilize and vaccinate stray dogs, appears to be moving at a “snail’s pace,” leaving a massive population of unsterilized animals roaming freely.
The debate over the stray dog menace is complex, with multiple factors contributing to the crisis. One point of contention is the practice of public feeding. Shravan Mongre, Nitya’s distraught father, believes that the unchecked public feeding of strays contributes to the problem. “People feed them milk, bread, biscuits, and chapatis right on the roadside. The dogs gather in large packs and attack passersby,” he said. He advocated for penalties for such “irresponsible feeding,” arguing it draws the dogs into residential areas and makes them more territorial and aggressive.
The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court has previously addressed this issue, issuing a directive in 2022 to the NMC to identify suitable land for housing stray dogs and even introducing a fine for public feeding. While the Supreme Court later stayed parts of this order, the call for dedicated shelters and a robust sterilization program remains. However, the NMC has been slow to act, with officials reportedly struggling with a lack of funds and suitable land for shelters.
In the wake of the latest attack, the Supreme Court’s recent directive to civic authorities in Delhi to remove stray dogs from residential areas and place them in shelters has sparked a renewed debate in Nagpur. While some residents and victims’ families welcome such a move, animal activists in the city argue that Nagpur lacks the infrastructure and resources to implement such a directive effectively. They point out that sterilizing and housing the city’s estimated one lakh stray dogs would be an enormous logistical and financial challenge.
The tragic attack on Nitya Mongre serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for a comprehensive and sustainable solution. The city is demanding a multi-pronged approach that combines aggressive and efficient sterilization drives, the establishment of dedicated and well-equipped shelters, stricter regulations on pet ownership, and a clear policy on public feeding that balances compassion for animals with the safety of citizens. Until such measures are put in place, the fear of another horrific attack will continue to cast a dark shadow over the lives of Nagpur’s residents.
