Leopard Attack: Tragic Incident in Uttarakhand's Tehri District

A 17-year-old boy named Anurag was tragically killed by a leopard in Uttarakhand's Tehri district. Despite local efforts to save him, the leopard prevailed. The forest department captured the leopard, leading to unrest among locals demanding it be shot. The situation prompted safety warnings for children.

A 17-year-old boy named Anurag was mauled to death by a leopard in Uttarakhand's Tehri district, officials reported on Friday. The incident occurred in Devprayag on Thursday night as Anurag, a class 12 student, was returning home after a cricket game and was attacked, confirmed Kirtinagar Sub-Divisional Magistrate Sonia Pant. Despite local residents raising an alarm, the leopard did not relent, officials noted.

Following the attack, police and forest personnel discovered Anurag's mutilated body late Thursday night, Pant added.

BJP MLA from Devprayag, Vinod Kandari, who visited the site on Friday, instructed the forest department to immediately capture the leopard. By 6 am, a team successfully caged the leopard, but locals demanded it be shot, the officials said. The forest department, however, assured them it would be taken to the tehsil office, which was initially agreed upon.

Upon learning that the leopard was being moved to Dehradun instead, angry residents evicted forest staff from the ranger office and staged a sit-in, locking the premises, officials stated. Divisional Forest Officer Jeevan Dagade intervened, urging residents to prevent their children from going out alone in the evenings.

(With inputs from agencies.)