MEERUT In the latest man- animal conflict in the region, villagers killed a leopard in Bhikkiwala village in Bijnor after it attacked and injured a farmer and ex -army man on Wednesday evening.
The injured farmer Tejveer Singh Negi,65, sustained multiple injuries in his forehead, skull and eyes and is undergoing treatment in a hospital of Kashipur in Uttarakhand.
The angry villagers staged a protest for hours and didn’t allow the forest officials to take away the leopard carcass for post mortem examination. They demanded adequate ex-gratia to the injured farmer and warned forest officials to intensify their protest if a case was registered against them for killing the leopard in self defence.
Tejveer Singh Negi, an ex-army man and a resident of Bhikkawala, was working in his fields on Wednesday evening when a leopard ambushed him and dragged him into the bushes.
Hearing his screams farmers who were working in nearby fields arrived on the spot and hit the leopard with sticks and wooden staff to rescue Negi from his clutches. The leopard succumbed to his injuries and the matter was reported to the forest officials.
Ramesh Chandra, conservator of forests (Moradabad and Meerut divisions), said that the farmer battled with the big cat to save himself and sustained multiple injuries. “ He has been admitted to a hospital and his condition is said to be critical”, said Chandra and claimed that leopards grabbed the neck of their prey to kill them during attack. But this big cat could not grab the neck of the farmer and made deep wounds on his skull and forehead.
{{/usCountry}}Ramesh Chandra, conservator of forests (Moradabad and Meerut divisions), said that the farmer battled with the big cat to save himself and sustained multiple injuries. “ He has been admitted to a hospital and his condition is said to be critical”, said Chandra and claimed that leopards grabbed the neck of their prey to kill them during attack. But this big cat could not grab the neck of the farmer and made deep wounds on his skull and forehead.
{{/usCountry}}“The leopard is also a protected animal, so further legal action would be taken only after assessing the situation during investigation”, said Chandra and shared that the post mortem examination report of the leopard was awaited.
Meanwhile, forest ranger Sunil Rajora and in charge of Afzalgarh police station Anjani Kumar Chaturvedi reached the village with police force. Villagers demanded an effective solution to ward off leopard attacks.