Fear in Srinagar has shifted from humans wielding guns to canines.
One in every 50 people in Srinagar, home to around 1.5 million people, seems to have been a victim of dog bites in the past four years — the startling figure suggests a surge in the number of canines in the city.
A few years ago, a survey estimated the number of stray dogs in Srinagar to be over 90,000.
Srinagar, once the ground zero of armed insurgency in Kashmir, has seen a sharp decline in the deaths or injuries from violence involving security forces or militants over the years. The shadow of guns may have receded only to be replaced by the growing “menace” of dogs. Many children dread walking alone on the streets of Kashmir, particularly in the mornings and evenings.
Figures released by the Omar Abdullah government in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly put the number of dog bites in the Union Territory at 2.12 lakh between 2022 and 2025, which is nearly 150 dog bites every day.
The revelation came in response to a question by Srinagar MLA and former Speaker Mubarak Gul.
The government put the number at 98,470 dog bites in 10 districts of the Jammu region and 1,14,498 cases in 10 districts of Kashmir.
Although the Jammu region saw around 16,000 fewer dog bite cases than Kashmir during this period, Jammu district bore the brunt with 54,889 cases. Almost three out of 100 people in the district have suffered dog bites during this period.
Srinagar, with 36,406 dog bite cases, tops the list in Kashmir, followed by 26,453 cases in Anantnag.
Baramulla recorded 18,563 dog bites, Budgam 9,382, Kulgam 6,612, Bandipora 5,367, Kupwara 3,594, Pulwama 3,426, Ganderbal 3,338 and Shopian 1,357.
Kashmiris, more so in Srinagar, have long been complaining about growing incidents of dog bites. Many of them, in private conversations, see the hand of “outside” actors in the growing incidents.
In the past, politician and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi had fiercely opposed the widely prevalent measure of culling stray dogs in the Valley, suggesting more humane measures like dog sterilisation.
But the problem persists. Experts believe poor waste management is the single biggest reason behind surging dog numbers here.