A five-year-old boy was attacked by three stray dogs in Udaipur just days after the Supreme Court’s order to clear localities of strays. Actor Manoj Bajpayee reacted to the ruling, urging empathy and safety, saying animals “didn’t choose the streets.”
Udaipur witnessed a shocking incident on Sunday evening when a five-year-old boy was attacked and injured by three stray dogs while playing near his home in Gautam Vihar colony, police said.
According to the police,
“The boy was playing outside his residence in Gautam Vihar colony when three stray dogs suddenly attacked him. He was injured and taken to a hospital.”
CCTV footage captured the terrifying moment as the dogs knocked the child to the ground, dragged him, and bit him multiple times. Hearing her son’s screams, the boy’s mother rushed out and bravely chased away the dogs, saving him from more serious harm.
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The injured child was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. The incident has created panic in the colony, with locals expressing deep concern over the rising number of stray dog attacks in Udaipur. Just two months ago, another eight-year-old boy had been attacked in a similar manner in another residential area of the city.
This incident comes only days after the Supreme Court’s August 11 order on stray dogs, which has already triggered nationwide debate.
The court directed authorities in Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, and Faridabad to ensure localities are free of stray dogs and further ruled that captured animals must not be released back on the streets.
The verdict has been sharply opposed by animal rights activists and pet lovers, leading to protests across states including Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal.
Several Bollywood celebrities also spoke against the order. Among them, actor Manoj Bajpayee gave a more balanced view. Posting on Instagram, he wrote,
“fear should not be the reason to decide a dog’s fate.”
He further said,
“These animals didn’t choose the streets and deserve compassion. People deserve to feel safe, too, and the way forward should be empathy. Fear should not decide their fate.”
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is hearing petitions challenging the ruling. A three-judge bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and NV Anjaria has reserved its order and said it will pass an interim direction after hearing all sides.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Delhi government, defended the order by stressing public safety.
He said a
“loud vocal minority” was opposing the move, while a “silent suffering majority”
supported it. He added,
“In a democracy, there is a vocal majority and one who silently suffers. We had seen videos of people eating chicken, eggs, etc, and then claiming to be animal lovers. It was an issue to be resolved. Children were dying.. Sterilisation did not stop rabies; even if you immunised them, that did not stop mutilation of children.”
Citing World Health Organisation (WHO) data, the Solicitor General told the court that in 2024, India reported 37 lakh dog bite cases and 305 rabies deaths, most of them among children under 15.
He concluded,
“Dogs do not have to be killed they have to be separated. Parents cannot send children out to play Nobody is an animal hatcr.”
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