Exclusive: India records 30,40,013 dog bite cases and 117 rabies deaths in six months of 2026, RTI reveals

On 31st July, the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said in response to an RTI application filed by Stray Dog Menace that the country had reported 30,40,013 dog bite cases and 117 human rabies deaths between 1st January and 30th June 2026. The data was collected from states and Union Territories through the P Form of the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme-Integrated Health Information Platform (IDSP-IHIP). According to the information provided by the NCDC, the data was retrieved from the IDSP-IHIP portal on 10th July 2026.

Over 16,700 dog bites reported every day

According to the data provided in the RTI reply, India recorded an average of 5,06,699 dog bite cases every month during the six-month period, which translates to approximately 16,796 reported dog bite cases every day.

In January, the highest number of cases was reported, at 5,57,012. The numbers kept declining throughout the following months. A total of 5,23,013 cases were reported in February, 5,12,946 in March, 5,22,240 in April, 4,87,622 in May and 4,37,180 in June.

If cases continue at the same average rate, India may end up recording around 60.50 lakh dog bite cases in 2026. It would be around 13 lakh more cases compared to 2025, when the country reported 47,48,478 dog bite cases, according to the RTI response provided by the NCDC to Stray Dog Menace in February this year.

Furthermore, the latest figures take the cumulative number of reported dog bite cases since 2010 to around 7.88 crore. Stray Dog Menace had earlier reported that over 7.58 crore cases were recorded between 2010 and 2025.

Tamil Nadu records the highest number of cases

In the past six months, Tamil Nadu recorded the highest number of dog bite cases, at 4,25,875. Gujarat stood in second place with 3,89,670 cases, followed by Maharashtra with 3,39,319, Karnataka with 3,01,724 and Andhra Pradesh with 2,34,707 cases. These five states alone accounted for 16,90,295 cases, or nearly 56% of the national total.

Punjab recorded 24,980 cases. The monthly figure increased from 3,703 in January to 5,166 in June, a rise of nearly 40%.

Karnataka reports the most rabies deaths

Karnataka reported the highest number of human rabies deaths, at 33. Tamil Nadu recorded 24 deaths and Maharashtra recorded 16. Assam and Delhi reported eight deaths each, while Gujarat and Meghalaya reported seven each.

Court orders remain on paper as dog bites continue

The latest numbers show why judicial directions cannot remain confined to court orders and compliance affidavits. In November 2025, the Supreme Court ordered the removal of stray dogs from schools, colleges, hospitals, sports complexes, bus stands, depots and railway stations. It specifically directed that dogs removed from these premises should not be released back at the same locations. In May 2026, the court refused to dilute this framework and entrusted every High Court with continuously monitoring its implementation.

However, stray dogs continue to roam inside and around the very public places that the Supreme Court ordered the authorities to secure. Municipal bodies frequently cite inadequate shelters, a shortage of dog-catching teams, limited veterinary infrastructure and insufficient Animal Birth Control capacity. These administrative failures cannot become a permanent justification for exposing children, patients, commuters and elderly citizens to preventable attacks.

Unregulated feeding also continues on streets and in residential and public areas. This is despite the Supreme Court directing municipal authorities to establish designated feeding sites and prohibiting the feeding of dogs on streets. Those violating the restrictions were made liable for action under applicable laws.

Although some High Courts have registered monitoring proceedings, implementation remains uneven across the country. The apex court’s direction will have little meaning unless every High Court actively scrutinises compliance and fixes responsibility for inaction. With 30,40,013 reported dog bites and 117 human rabies deaths in just six months, the human cost of administrative delay is no longer theoretical.

Disclaimer: This news report is based on information provided by National Centre for Disease Control, Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India in a reply to RTI filed by us.

About this project: This website is independently maintained. Its purpose, operation, and disclosures are explained here.