2024-10-07 18:22:26
Devesh Pandey, Lakhimpur Kheri: There was an uproar after the death of a child in a leopard attack; angry villagers pelted stones at the police and forest department team, injuring many policemen. The angry mob vandalized the police vehicles, the police chased away the villagers by lathi charge and in view of the tension, police forces from several police stations have been deployed on the spot.
The villagers allege that today again a farmer was attacked by a leopard when he was going to work in the fields, however somehow he ran away to save his life. The Forest Department is not able to take any concrete steps except assurance.
On Saturday evening, ten-year-old boy Chhotu, resident of Gangabehad village of Sharda Nagar Forest Range and Sadar Kotwali area, had gone to work on the farm with his father Munnar Ali. Then suddenly the leopard pounced and dragged the son away and turned him into a meal. The helpless father had seen the scene of his son’s death with his own eyes. After the death in leopard attack, the villagers had protested against the forest department by blocking the road.
Many policemen including constable injured
After persuasion by the police, the family agreed to conduct post-mortem of the body. On Sunday, the body had just reached home after post-mortem, when a leopard pounced on a villager who had gone to work in the fields near the same village, due to which he became unconscious, although his life was saved, which further spread anger among the villagers. They blocked the road and started raising slogans against the forest department. The police reached the spot and pelted stones at the forest department team. They also broke vehicles. Many policemen including a woman constable were injured in the stone pelting.
CO City Ramesh Tiwari said that the villagers were angry and efforts were being made to understand them, however during this time they pelted stones at the police team due to which a woman constable got injured and broke our vehicles. The forest department is installing cages to catch the leopard.
Second attack in 20 days
About 20 days ago, a 12-year-old boy was attacked and killed by a leopard in the same forest range, after which the forest department initially showed promptness and then the officials became lax. As a result, one more child lost his life in a leopard attack. The villagers are angry and say that the Forest Department becomes active after the incident and then becomes careless. Officers do not come to the spot even hours after the incident