Shiv Sena UBT leader booked for releasing puppies in civic office protest

Police in Maharashtra's Nashik district have registered cases against a Shiv Sena UBT youth leader and his associates after they released puppies into a civic official's office during a protest over the stray dog menace. The incident, which occurred on September 15, 2026, at the Niphad Nagar Panchayat office, has drawn attention to the ongoing issue of stray dogs in the area. Vikram Randhave, a district youth wing functionary for the party's Yuva Sena, led a group of activists into the office of Chief Officer Dheeraj Bhamre. A video of the protest shows Randhave removing two puppies from sacks and placing them on the official's desk. He also left a garland made of currency notes on the desk to protest what he described as the civic administration's inaction. "We have been trying to highlight the stray dog menace to you for the last six months, but you ignored our pleas," Randhave told the official in the video. He claimed that more than 400 stray dogs roam within the Nagar Panchayat limits and that over 100 residents suffer dog bites every month, creating a hazard for children, senior citizens, and motorists.