State-Level Kabaddi Player Brijesh Solanki Bitten by Puppy, Dies Three Months Later

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In the quiet village of Farana in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, a state-level Kabaddi player named Brijesh Solanki lived a life fueled by discipline, ambition, and hope. At just 24, Brijesh had already etched his name into regional sports history, earning a gold medal in a state kabaddi competition in February 2025. He was training with determination, dreaming of playing in the prestigious Pro Kabaddi League in 2026.

But fate had a cruel plan.

In March 2025, Brijesh noticed a small puppy struggling in a roadside drain near his village. Compassion took over. Without hesitation, he bent down to rescue the helpless creature. In that moment of rescue, the frightened pup bit into Brijesh’s right hand.

It was a minor wound. A scratch, he thought. Nothing serious.

He dismissed it. He didn’t visit a doctor. He didn’t take an anti-rabies vaccine. Like many others in rural India, Brijesh had never known anyone affected by rabies. The idea that such a tiny wound could be deadly seemed implausible.

And for three months, life carried on as usual. Brijesh continued his kabaddi training. His body showed no signs of distress. His smile never faded. The bite became a memory, then an afterthought.

Until June 26, 2025.

That morning, Brijesh woke up feeling strange. His right hand—the same hand that had been bitten—felt numb. Hours later, the numbness began to spread across his entire body. Panic set in. The family rushed him to Jeevan Jyoti Hospital in Aligarh, desperate for answers. Doctors there referred him to the district medical college for urgent care.

But the clock was already ticking.

At the medical college, according to the family, doctors did not take his condition seriously. They claimed he was not treated in time. As the hours passed, Brijesh’s condition deteriorated rapidly. He began gasping for breath. His body convulsed in fear and pain. He screamed—not just out of agony, but as a way to force oxygen into his lungs.

Then came the chilling confession.

As his family stood by, confused and horrified, Brijesh finally told them what had happened. He whispered that months ago, a puppy had bitten him. He hadn’t thought much of it at the time. It was a moment of humanity, he explained, not a cause for alarm.

His words shook everyone.

“We didn’t even know this could happen,” his family would later say. “No one ever told us a puppy bite could lead to something like this. Not until the doctors explained how serious it had become.”

Brijesh was suffering from advanced rabies—a deadly viral infection that attacks the central nervous system. Once symptoms appear, it is almost always fatal.

He cried out for help. But it was too late.

By the evening of June 26, Brijesh Solanki—an athlete, a son, a brother, a dreamer—was gone.

His death left a scar not only on his family but on the entire village. Brijesh came from a humble background. His father Satish Solanki is a farmer, his mother Geeta is a homemaker. His elder brother Shivam is also a kabaddi player. His younger brother Sandeep works as a driver. Their lives revolved around hard work, simple joys, and the pride of watching Brijesh rise through the ranks in the sport he loved.

And now, everything had changed—because of a puppy bite and a missed vaccine.

His story has since gone viral across Indian media. Not only because it’s tragic, but because it’s avoidable. Rabies, while deadly, is 100% preventable if the proper treatment is administered within 24 hours of exposure. A few shots could have saved his life.

But Brijesh, like millions in rural India, did not know this. And no one around him knew either.

Health officials and public advocates have pointed to his death as a glaring example of the urgent need for rabies awareness, prevention, and government-led animal control.

In India, stray dogs roam the streets in overwhelming numbers. Many are unvaccinated. According to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, India accounts for more than one-third of all rabies deaths globally. And yet, public education about the disease remains shockingly low.

Contrast this with countries like Mexico. In 1990, Mexico faced a rabies crisis similar to India’s. But a national campaign of free mass vaccinations for dogs, coupled with aggressive public awareness, turned the tide. By 2019, WHO officially declared Mexico rabies-free. Not a single human death caused by canine rabies.

Brijesh’s death should serve as a wake-up call.

It’s not just about a single tragedy—it’s about systemic negligence. A nation with advanced space missions and billion-dollar sports leagues must not allow its youth to die from preventable diseases.

The government needs to act. Mass dog vaccination programs must be launched. Stray animal populations must be controlled humanely. Most importantly, every citizen—rural or urban—must be educated about the deadly reality of rabies.

And yet, while policies are debated and funds are allocated, a family sits in Farana, grieving.

A mother who can no longer call out to her son.

A father who wonders if a single trip to the doctor might have changed everything.

A brother who lost his teammate and best friend.

And a kabaddi jersey that will forever remain folded in a dusty drawer, its owner gone too soon.