Farm worker killed in leopard attack in Nashik’s Sinnar, animal too dies in well

The deceased, Gorakh Laxman Jadhav, a resident of Savata Malinagar, was working in a field owned by Ganpat Amruta Chavan

A 43-year-old farm worker died in a leopard attack at Shivde village, Sinnar taluka, Nashik, Sunday morning, sparking panic in the neighbourhood. The leopard too died after being stranded in an open well for hours. Both the farm worker and the animal had fallen into the well during a struggle, officials said.

The leopard too died after being stranded in an open well for hours. Both the farm worker and the animal had fallen into the well during a struggle, officials said. (HT)

The deceased, Gorakh Laxman Jadhav, a resident of Savata Malinagar, was working in a field owned by Ganpat Amruta Chavan. According to forest department officials, Jadhav was in the field to water the wheat crop and was having breakfast under a mango tree near the well at around 10 am when a leopard, believed to have been hiding nearby, grabbed him by his neck from behind. Workers in the adjoining fields rushed to the spot after hearing Jadhav’s screams. Over the course of the struggle that ensued, both Jadhav and the leopard fell into the brick-lined well that did not have a safety parapet. Jadhav died even as the leopard remained alive inside the well initially.

Female labourers working in a neighbouring field came to know what had happened and alerted the villagers who soon gathered there in large numbers. The leopard, exhausted by then, reportedly climbed on to the foundation of an electric pump inside the well. That’s when forest officials lowered a cage into the well to capture the animal.

However, the operation was delayed as locals opposed lifting the cage from the well till such time the leopard was neutralised, leading to five hours filled with tension. The forest department later sought help from the Sinnar police to control the crowd and facilitate the rescue.

An expert swimmer, Govind Tupe, was called in to retrieve Jadhav’s body from the well which had around six feet of water. Once retrieved, Jadhav’s body was examined revealing several injuries.

Meanwhile, the leopard also died as it was stranded inside the well for a long time. Officials said that the cage obstructed the recovery process and kept falling back into the well leading to the leopard drowning inside it. The forest department finally removed the cage from the well at around 4.30 pm. The leopard’s post-mortem was conducted later in the night after which, the animal was cremated by forest officials.

A case has been registered at the Sinnar police station. “This is an extremely unfortunate incident. The victim’s family will be given compensation as per government norms and instructions have been issued to complete the required documentation at the earliest,” said assistant conservator of forests, Kalpana Waghmare.

She added that measures have been intensified to capture leopards roaming in the Shivde, Konambe and Pandhurli areas. “Two cages have already been installed and more will be added if required,” she said.