Leopard killed and paraded in Assam, 6 arrested

The teeth of the animal were removed after it was killed and videos circulating on social media showed people parading the dead animal.

Five adults and a minor have been arrested in Assam’s Guwahati for killing a leopard on Sunday, said police. According to an FIR filed by the forest department, the leopard was killed by locals around 9:30 am in the Kathabari area of the city. The teeth of the animal were removed after it was killed and videos circulating on social media showed people parading the dead animal.

According to reports, the animal, which looked old and weak due to starvation, was first trapped by the residents in the early hours of the day.(File photo/ Representative image)

“We have arrested 5 persons and a minor on charges of killing the leopard. Investigations are underway to arrest others involved in the act,” Dhirendra Kalita, in-charge of Garchuk police station said. He added that the minor was later sent to a remand home.

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According to reports, the animal, which looked old and weak due to starvation, was first trapped by the residents in the early hours of the day. However, it managed to escape.

The residents allegedly pursued the animal and killed it. Kathabari area falls under the Fatasil reserve forest, spread over 670 hectares in Guwahati. Assam’s largest city has several notified reserve forests in and around it.

Sunday’s incident was the fifth reported instance of leopards being killed in Assam. Three leopards were killed in Golaghat district in separate incidents while one was killed in Jorhat in March.