88K people bitten by dogs at Rohtak in 5 years: RTI reply

Information obtained through the Right to Information Act has revealed that as many as 88,666 people were bitten by dogs in Rohtak district in the past about five years.

Subhash, state convener of Haryana Soochna Adhikar Manch, had sought information regarding cases of dog bite in Rohtak district from the State Public Information Officer-cum-Chief Medical Officer, Rohtak.

As per the information provided in response to the RTI application, 88,666 people were bitten by dogs in Rohtak district between April 1, 2020 and August 25, 2025.

Of them, 58,089 people were bitten by dogs in Rohtak city alone.

The aforesaid figures do not include the cases in which the victims of dog-bite preferred indigenous treatment/home remedies and did not report to any health facility for getting anti-rabies vaccine administered.

As per the official data, 9,560 cases of dog bite were reported at Sub-Divisional Hospital, Kalanaur; 7,161 cases at Sub-Divisional Hospital, Meham; and 7,666 at Community Health Centre, Sampla.

Apart from these, many cases were reported at community health centres and other government health facilities in the district located elsewhere.

The office of the SPIO did not provide any information regarding the compensation for dog-bite cases. The SPIO, however, maintained that treatment in government hospitals is free of cost.

In response to another question, the office of the Chief Medical Officer, Rohtak, stated that no deaths occurred due to dog bites.

During this five-and-a-half-year period, the Chief Medical Officer, Rohtak, received 13,080 injections from the warehouse and purchased 14,520 injections from the central store. That means a total of 27,600 injections were made available, while the total number of victims was 88,666.

As per local sources, non-availability of anti-rabies vaccine is often reported at Rohtak PGIMS.

Rohtak Municipal Corporation Commissioner Dr Anand Kumar Sharma maintained that the work order for animal birth control had been issued on June 24, following which the vaccination drive had started on July 21. "As many as 1,126 vaccinations have been done so far and the sterilisation work is in progress," he said, adding that the current tender had been allotted for one year.