A four-year-old girl mauled by a stray dog in Bhiwandi town of the district has died after battling for life for more than a month.

The incident had taken place in New Azad Nagar locality on July 8, local sources said.

Laiba Shaikh, the victim, died at the government-run Sion Hospital in Mumbai on Monday, they added.

The dog, suspected to be rabid, had attacked about 40 people including children and senior citizens. It was subsequently killed by some people.

The girl, who had suffered severe facial injuries, was initially treated at IGM Hospital in Bhiwandi and then transferred to the Thane civil hospital where she underwent a surgery, but as her condition deteriorated, she was shifted to the Sion Hospital.

Residents claimed that the Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation had failed to control the stray dog population in the town, and called for a sterilization drive.

Rais Shaikh, a local MLA, on Wednesday called for a First Information Report to be registered against those responsible.

Municipal commissioner Ajay Vaidya said a tender for establishing a dog shelter and implementing a vaccination program has been issued.

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