Seven-year-old Khushil Shankar Waghe was killed and his friend Nilesh Bagle seriously injured when a stray dog attacked them near their home in Kalyan, Thane district, Maharashtra, on Thursday afternoon. Khushil, whose parents are daily-wage labourers, succumbed to his injuries at hospital, while Nilesh remains in stable condition at a Thane hospital.
The tragedy has triggered widespread fear among residents and prompted Shiv Sena (UBT) corporators Tejashree Hemant Gaikwad and Umesh Borgaonkar, to formally approach the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) with demands for urgent action, including special dog-capture squads and intensified sterilisation and vaccination drives.
A Child’s Bravery, A Family’s Loss
Khushil was playing near his home in the tribal hamlet of Mohili when the stray dog pounced without warning. Hearing his screams, his friend Nilesh ran to his rescue, as an act of courage that left the seven-year-old with serious bite injuries himself. Both boys were rushed to a nearby hospital, but Khushil could not be saved.
Nilesh is currently recovering at a Thane hospital and is reported to be in stable condition. The tragedy has left the community devastated, particularly given that Khushil’s parents, both the labourers were away at work when the incident occurred.
Corporator Tejashree Gaikwad, who submitted a memorandum to the KDMC commissioner on Friday, warned that stray dogs are no longer confined to outer roads but are “entering building premises, parking areas, and children’s play zones,” and frequently chase residents and attack two-wheeler riders. Residents of the area have been raising these concerns for months, with little visible response from civic authorities.
A Crisis Years In The Making
The attack on Khushil is not an isolated incident but part of a troubling and recurring pattern in the Kalyan-Dombivli region. In September 2025, at least five people were injured in a single day in stray dog attacks on Kalyan’s Vallipir Road, with a KDMC health officer confirming that 67 dog bite cases were reported across the KDMC region in one day alone, 35 in Kalyan and 32 in Dombivli.
Just days before Khushil’s death, a 30-year-old bank employee in Kalyan East died by suicide after developing severe anxiety over a potential rabies infection following a stray dog bite, highlighting how the crisis is exacting not just a physical but a psychological toll on residents.
Gaikwad’s memorandum specifically flagged localities including Babasaheb Ambedkar Chowk, Balyani, Mohili, and Ambivali (East) as hotspots where the stray dog population has surged dramatically, creating an atmosphere of fear and insecurity.
While KDMC claims to sterilise over 1,000 stray dogs per month at its Kalyan centre, residents and corporators say the pace is nowhere near sufficient to contain a population that continues to grow unchecked. India’s Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules prohibit the culling of stray dogs, mandating sterilisation and vaccination instead a policy that, without robust and adequately funded implementation at the municipal level, has left communities exposed.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Khushil Waghe was seven years old. He was playing near his home, the most ordinary, innocent thing a child can do and he did not come back. His friend Nilesh ran towards danger to save him. These two boys deserved better from the systems meant to protect them. The stray dog crisis in Kalyan is not new, it is not unknown, and it is not unsolvable.
Compassion for animals and the safety of communities are not opposing values, both can, and must, coexist. That means properly funded sterilisation programmes, responsive municipal machinery, community-level awareness, and, crucially, accountability for those entrusted with public safety.
Also Read – Telangana Temple Fair Turns Tragic: 2-Month-Old Dies After Alleged Caste-Based Assault
