A tragic incident in Odisha’s Bolangir district has claimed the life of national-level para-athlete Jogendra Chhatria, 33, who died after being attacked by a stray dog. The same dog reportedly went on a rampage on July 23, biting at least six people, including school children.

The injured were initially taken to the Bolangir district headquarters hospital but later referred to a hospital in Burla for further treatment. Among those attacked, Jogendra Chhatria and another victim, Hrushikesh Rana (48), succumbed to their injuries on Saturday, July 9.

Amid a worrying nationwide surge in dog bite cases, this incident comes. The central government, shared a data last month, India has recorded over 37 lakh dog bite cases in 2024 alone, along with 54 suspected deaths due to rabies.

The figures were presented by Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, S. P. Singh Baghel, in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. He noted that the data had been collected from states and union territories under the National Rabies Control Program, managed by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

To address the growing concern, the ministry has issued an advisory to all states this year, urging them to enforce the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023. The aim is to reduce the number of stray dogs and prevent such attacks, especially on vulnerable groups like young children.