Stray dog scare grips Langate: Dozen injured in fresh attacks

Srinagar, Aug 31: Stray dogs attacked as many as a dozen people on Sunday in Langate villages of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, spreading panic among locals.Officials said one of the injured, who suffered serious wounds, was shifted to Srinagar for advanced treatment, while the rest were provided first aid and anti-rabies vaccines at Associated Hospital GMC Langate.The injured have been identified from Langate, Batpora, Guloora, Kohru and adjoining villages. According to BMO Langate, Dr Firdous Ahmad, all the victims were administered vaccines and necessary medicines. “One patient was referred to Handwara GMC for specialised care,” he said.Locals said the sudden attacks left the entire area in fear. “Around a dozen people were bitten within hours. We are living in panic,” said a resident from Batpora.  The villagers urged authorities to immediately neutralise the stray dogs involved in the attacks. They added that earlier such incidents were largely confined to towns but are now spreading across rural belts.One of the injured told Rising Kashmir that the government must take urgent measures to control the dog population through sterilisation drives. “Without strict sterilisation in towns, the population of stray dogs will continue to rise and spread to villages,” he said.Official data shows dog bite cases have been steadily rising across Jammu and Kashmir. In the last five years alone, over 33,000 cases were recorded at the Anti-Rabies Clinic of SMHS Hospital Srinagar. These include 5,629 cases in 2021–22, 6,875 in 2022–23, 8,652 in 2023–24, and 6,258 cases between June 2024 and May 2025. On a wider scale, government figures reveal over one lakh dog bite cases across J&K in the last three years, including 22,110 cases in 2022, 34,664 in 2023, and 51,027 in 2024. Doctors warn that the growing population of stray dogs, coupled with poor waste management and lack of sterilisation, has turned the menace into a major public health concern.