MYSURU: An 11-year-old boy was killed by a leopard which dragged him 1 km away from where it attacked him, at Horalahalli village in T Narasipur taluk on Saturday.
The victim was identified as Jayanth, a resident of Horalahalli village. After his parents noticed that he was missing, they and other villagers searched for him all night, but could not find him.
Forest Officers also arrived on the scene and conducted a search operation. Finally, the boy’s partially eaten body was recovered from the forest, about 1 km from the village.
Only two days, ago 60-year-old woman Siddamma was killed by a leopard at Kannanayakanahalli village.
A tense atmosphere prevailed in T Narasipur after the villagers staged a protest raising slogans against the Forest Department and the government over the continued leopard attacks. The incident has triggered panic among villagers in the nearby areas.
Former taluk panchayat member Ramesh said the government has abdicated its responsibiliyt towards peole. “Leopards are killing humans and animals every day in Narasipur taluk. None of the MLA or other people’s representatives visited the spot at least for courtesy. There is no value for precious lives. No action has been taken by the government and Forest Department to control the leopard menace. People do not want any false promises”, he charged.
He demanded that the Forest Department should take steps to safeguard the lives of people by killing the leopard if necessary. If not, people will stage a massive protest against the officers, the government and the administration, he warned.