Thaindian News

Bahraich (Uttar Pradesh), April 9 (IANS) A group of villagers roughed up a team of forest officials here after a leopard mauled three people in a village on the periphery of the Katarniaghat forest reserve here, officials said Saturday.

Agitated over the alleged delay in the arrival of forest officials for flushing out the leopard from Gangapur village, the locals Friday evening also damaged several vehicles of the forest officials and tried to set them afire.

“The villagers attacked the members of the tranquiliser team and other forest officials when they arrived there. However, no official was seriously injured in the incident,” Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) R.K. Singh told reporters Saturday in Bahraich, some 140 km from Lucknow.

“The villagers calmed down late Friday only when they were assured that a team of forest official would camp in the area and that the leopard was flushed out from the village,” he added.

According to officials, the leopard, believed to be around 4-years-old, triggered panic among the locals after attacking three villagers one after the other Friday.

“The condition of the three people is stated to be out of danger,” said Singh.