Leopard Burnt Alive By Angry Mob; 150 Villagers Booked

Pauri (Uttarakhand): A leopard was burnt alive by angry villagers in Uttarakhand’s Pauri Garhwal district.

The seven-year-old male leopard had been captured by the Uttarakhand forest department, The Indian Express reported.

According to forest department officials, the locals were furious over the death of a woman who was mauled by a leopard earlier this month. However, it’s not clear whether the leopard killed on Tuesday was the one involved in the fatal attack on the woman.

An FIR has been registered against the village pradhan and 149 others under the Wildlife Protection Act and other relevant laws.

“On Tuesday morning around 5.20 am, we got information that a leopard was caught in one of the cages. Forest department officials rushed to the spot. They talked to the locals, but an angry mob led by the local village pradhan attacked the cage. They poured petrol and threw dry grass on the animal and set him on fire. The forest department officials tried to stop them but the mob of Saplodi and three-four neighbouring villages was just too overwhelming for them,” district forest officer Mukesh Sharma was quoted as saying The Indian Express.

Nine days before this incident, 47-year-old Sushma Devi was killed by a leopard in Saplodi village in the district. Forest officials placed cages at two locations in the area to catch the animal.