Girnar: A sacred trek to the Ambaji Temple in Gujarat’s Junagadh district turned tragic on Saturday after a 12-year-old boy was dragged away by a lion barely 50 steps into the trek. The boy’s partial remains were found later.
The incident scared away pilgrims and authorities shut the route to one of the state’s busiest and most revered pilgrimage sites.
This was the first lion attack on a pilgrim trekking to the famous temple, forest officials told The Indian Express.
Mayur Chauhan was travelling with his family from the Modaj village in Kheda district to undertake the pilgrimage. Eyewitnesses and relatives said that the family had climbed only about 50 steps from the main entrance when the lion emerged from the darkness and attacked the child from behind.
The boy’s uncle, Anilkumarsinh, said the animal grabbed the boy by the arm and escaped into the adjoining forest before stunned pilgrims could react. Only the child’s shoes, clothes, and partial remains were later recovered from the forest, despite frantic efforts to rescue him.
The forest department said that a lion, believed to be the one involved in the incident, was captured hours later.
“As soon as we received information about the incident, forest department officials, trackers, a veterinary doctor, and other staff rushed to the spot. A rescue operation was launched to locate and capture the lion. During the operation, a lion was captured. While examining the animal, the veterinarian observed that it vomited, and parts of a human body were found,” Akshay Joshi, deputy conservator of forests, Junagadh, said.
“As a precautionary measure and to prevent any further untoward incidents, the new Girnar staircase route has been closed to devotees until further notice. The forest department has initiated a detailed investigation, and necessary action is being taken,” he added.
A group of around 50-60 pilgrims began climbing around 5.45 am after staying overnight at Girnar, an eyewitness said.
“We had barely crossed 50 steps when the lion suddenly appeared and carried away the child… It had probably been
lying in wait. There was not much light on the way, and it was dark. No one spotted the lion,” he added.
The police and forest officials rushed to the spot, cordoned off the area, and suspended movement on the main staircase. Pilgrims were diverted to the older staircase near Jatashankar as search teams fanned out through the forest, and cages were deployed to capture the lion involved in the attack.
“The main trek has been closed today to allow us to look for the lion…There is a risk to the safety of other pilgrims, as it is likely the lion may be in the vicinity. So, the pilgrims have been diverted,” a forest official told the newspaper.
Locals claimed that the lion had been seen near the main staircase for the past three days, but forest officials said that adequate measures were in place.
“This is the first incident where a lion has attacked a pilgrim walking to the Ambaji temple… Previously, a leopard had dragged away a 11-year-old girl during the annual pilgrimage, but that incident occurred on the outskirts of the mountain…not from the steps to the temple,” the official said.
Arjun Modhwadia, forests and environment minister, Gujarat, described the incident as unfortunate and said the government would investigate what prompted the attack.
“It is an unfortunate incident. Usually, lions do not attack without a reason. We will probe the reasons for this attack. The family was climbing along with other trekkers…forest officials were also present at the site,” Modhwadia has been quoted as saying.
The minister said that a meeting would be held on Monday to review the standard operating procedure.
“This is the second such incident where a child has been dragged away (since June 24)… and we are unable to ascertain the reason for these two attacks. In the other recent attacks, there had been provocation and teasing. As of now, we have closed the pathway to Girnar. On Monday, we have called a review meeting to see what needs to be revised to minimise the conflict,” Modhwadia added.
On July 8, a 21-year-old man was dragged away and killed by a lion and lioness near Antaliya village in Amreli district. A lion attacked a cattle herder in Garajia village of Palitana, pinning him to the ground on July 6, while a child walking with his grandfather was dragged away by a lioness on June 24. His body was recovered from the forest area later.
On June 17, a man did not return home in the Pipleshwar area in Bhavnagar. His body parts were recovered eight days later. He is suspected to have been preyed upon by a lion.
Just a day before that, on June 16, a 25-year-old man in Kovaya village in Amreli was attacked when he was walking to his field. A part of his body was recovered.