Villagers burn leopard alive in Uttarakhand

DFO Garhwal Mukesh Kumar said that on Tuesday morning, the Forest Department had received information that the leopard was caught in a cage in Saplodi village adding that a team was sent to rescue the animal. However, it was too late and even before the team reached the spot, four to five villagers burnt the leopard alive.

Pauri (Uttarakhand): A leopard was burnt alive by villagers in Saplodi village of Pabo block on Tuesday. According to officials of the Forest Department, the residents of the village located in the Nagdev range of Garhwal Forest Division was irate as the leopard had earlier killed a woman and injured another.

The leopard on May 15 killed a woman who entered the forest to collect fruit and on Monday night attacked another woman in her courtyard, inflicting severe injuries. Following the attacks, Forest Department officials set up two cages to catch the animal.

DFO Garhwal Mukesh Kumar said that on Tuesday morning, the Forest Department had received information that the leopard was caught in a cage in Saplodi village adding that a team was sent to rescue the animal. However, it was too late and even before the team reached the spot, four to five villagers burnt the leopard alive.

Forest Department officials also had to face protests from the enraged villagers. The DFO said that the body of the leopard was disposed of after post-mortem. He also said that legal action will be taken against villagers involved in the incident.