E-Paper
14-year-old killed in leopard attack in Uttar Pradesh
The victim was identified as Raj Kamal Singh of Jasnagar. The leopard disappeared into the neighbouring fields after the attack, leaving the body on the spot
A 14-year boy was killed in a leopard attack near Khairatiya village railway station on Monday night, police said. The victim was identified as Raj Kamal Singh of Jasnagar. The leopard disappeared into the neighbouring fields after the attack, leaving the body on the spot.
Family members and villagers discovered the body on Tuesday morning near a hutment close to the railway track. Dudhwa buffer zone officials were informed about the incident following which north Nighasan forest range officer Bhupendra Singh and his staff arrived on the scene. They found leopard pug marks on the spot.
Kirti Chaudhari, deputy director of Dudhwa buffer zone, said the boy had walked towards the railway tracks close to the Mohana river where a leopard attacked and killed him. She added that the body would be sent for an autopsy and compensation would be provided to the aggrieved family.
Chaudhary said that the area is near Dudhwa Tiger Reserve (DTR) forests and was prone to movements of big cats and other wild animals. She added that chain-link fencing in some sensitive places in this area prevented human casualties in big cats attacks for the last two years.
The local villagers and farmers’ union leaders lodged a protest with the forest range officer, police and Nighasan sub divisional magistrate (SDM) and demanded monetary compensation and jobs for the aggrieved family. They also demanded fencing of the whole area to prevent big cat movement into their area.
