With the mutilated body of a seven-year-old boy being found in woods in Down Dale locality of Shimla, leopard scare has again gripped the town, particularly the areas situated close to the forest.
The leopard, which reportedly killed the boy on Diwali night, was spotted again on Monday, triggering panic among the residents of Ramnagar, Kanlog and Fagli localities.
A citizens’ forum — Shimla Nagrik Sabha — on Tuesday staged a protest outside the office of the chief wildlife warden, demanding the government to either kill the leopard or nab it.
The citizens’ body has blamed the Shimla municipal corporation and forest department for the Down Dale incident.
It has demanded the state government to issue directions to the municipal corporation and forest department to immediately take steps to check such tragic incidents. It also sought a monetary compensation of ₹5 lakh for the family of the victim.
“Leopards are attacking kids right in the heart of the city and when such an incident can happen in the middle of the town, then one can easily imagine the situation in peripheral areas,” said the forum’s secretary Vijender Mehra.
“It is clear from this incident that no citizen is safe in Shimla. The most surprising thing is that leopards are roaming freely in the residential areas of the city like Down Dale, Nabha, Fagli and Kanlog and the forest department is not doing anything except issuing senseless statements,” he added. The forum also flayed the civic body over defunct streetlights in the own.
{{/usCountry}}“It is clear from this incident that no citizen is safe in Shimla. The most surprising thing is that leopards are roaming freely in the residential areas of the city like Down Dale, Nabha, Fagli and Kanlog and the forest department is not doing anything except issuing senseless statements,” he added. The forum also flayed the civic body over defunct streetlights in the own.
{{/usCountry}}Yog Raj had gone missing on Diwali night and his mutilated body was found 500 metres below his house in the forest area a couple of days later.
The forest department has launched a manhunt to trace the animal that killed the boy and its wildlife wing has set up trap cameras to track prowling leopards. Cages have also been installed in Ram Nagar and Down Dale. Besides, it is also running an awareness campaign to alert the locals of the animal attack. “Detailed report has been sent to the wildlife warden. It’s his discretion to invoke section 11 of the Wildlife Protection Act,” said Shimla divisional forest officer. The forest department is also awaiting the forensic reports to declare the feline as a maneater.
The leopard attacks in Himachal are more frequent in the rural areas, but such incidents have often been reported in Shimla, particularly during the winter months. As many as 53 leopards attacks have been reported across the state in the last six years wherein seven persons were killed.