E-Paper
Angry villagers beat up forest guard after leopard kills boy, 8, in Kalwadi village
The boy, Rudra Mahesh Paphale, 8, was playing in front of his house surrounded by sugarcane fields at around 8.30 am on Wednesday
After a leopard attacked and killed an eight-year-old boy in Kalwadi village near the Manchar area of Junnar tehsil on May 8, angry villagers confronted the primary response team from the forest department, beating up a forest guard following a heated argument. They even demanded that officers who are ignoring and mishandling the human-animal conflict in the area be suspended.
The boy, Rudra Mahesh Paphale, 8, was playing in front of his house surrounded by sugarcane fields at around 8.30 am on Wednesday, May 8. Rudra, who hails from Badgi Belapur village in Ahmednagar district, had come down to his relative, Rohidas Kakde’s place, along with his mother and sister for the annual yatra celebration. While playing, Rudra went towards the sugarcane fields where a leopard was hiding, lying in wait for the boy. The leopard pounced on Rudra and dragged him deep into the fields. When Rudra did not return home for a long time, the family grew worried and searched the area around the house. Sensing something was amiss, Kakde, along with some neighbours, initiated a search for Rudra only to find the boy’s mutilated body lying in one of the fields. There were injuries on Rudra’s neck and leg and parts of his body, particularly his stomach, had been ripped off.
As word spread, a large number of villagers gathered at the spot. Incensed over the tragedy, they encircled the primary response team when it reached the spot and began arguing with its members (local forest officials). Some of the villagers even beat a forest guard who did not wish to be named. When senior forest officers including Amol Satpute, deputy conservator of forests, Junnar forest area; and Amit Bhise, assistant conservator of forests, Junnar forest area reached the spot along with the police, the villagers demanded that the forest officers be suspended for ignoring and mishandling the human-animal conflict in the area.
Bhise said, “The primary response team reached the spot within half-an-hour of learning about the leopard attack. It is understood that the villagers are angry. Our officials tried to calm them down and began further procedures. As of now, trap cages have been installed in the area. Night surveillance will also be conducted through the thermal drone camera in order to capture the leopard.’’
Ajay Belhekar, a farmer from Kalwadi who was present on the spot, said, “This is not the first time that an attack has occurred in this area. Earlier too, leopard attacks have taken place not only in our village but also in the nearby villages. Just two days ago, a young girl was attacked in Pimpalwandi village which is barely three kilometres away from Kalwadi. Prior to that, there have been two attacks in Umbraj and Shiroli in the last two months. A three-and-a-half-year-old boy was seriously injured in the attack in Umbraj while a one-and-a-half-year-old girl was killed in the attack in Shiroli. The distance between these villages and Kalwadi is not much. The villagers had asked the forest department to install cages but the demand was ignored. Moreover, the leopards that are being captured from other places are also being released in the area around Kalwadi. People are living in fear of leopard attacks.”
Tushar Waman, sarpanch, Kalwadi, said, “The forest department has time and again neglected the conflict situation here. There is no seriousness among the officials about the leopard attacks. After some recent attack in a nearby village, I personally demanded that the forest department install cages in our village but the demand was ignored.”
