New Tehri: After two days of a man-eating leopard attack in which a 13-year-old girl was killed in the Bhilangana block in Tehri district in Uttarakhand, schools in this area have been shut down for safety of school-goers’ kids.
Moreover, four primary schools have closed and half-yearly exams have been postponed after a leopard killed three kids in Tehri’s Bhilangana block in the last four months. According to the forest department officials, the forest department team is camping in the area in search of the leopard, but it is still untraceable.
A 13-year-old girl was killed on Saturday
On the last Saturday, at around 4.30 pm, a girl, identified as Sakshi, came out of her house in Kot Maher village to play shortly after returning from her school. According to the villagers, the leopard, sitting in ambush in the bushes, pounced on her. On hearing her screams, the family and neighbours rushed to her rescue and made loud noises to scare the animal. The leopard dragged her for around 50 metres before escaping into the forest. Later, her body was found in the bushes.
Three kids have been killed in last four months
According to the Kot Maher villagers, this “man-eater” leopard had killed a nine-year-old girl in Bhaund village on July 22 and a three-year-old boy in Purwal village on September 29. Tehri education officer, SP Semwal said, “We have ordered to shut the school until this leopard fear gets over in the area. All exams until Wednesday are postponed in four primary schools.”
Six shooters, drones and rescue teams are deployed to capture the big cat
To capture this man-eater, a 30-member team with three cages and 15 camera traps is patrolling the affected area. Apart from this, six shooters, drones, and rescue teams also have been deployed. Additionally, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Puneet Tomar is also camping in the village along with the forest department team. He said, “Efforts are being made to find the leopard with drone cameras.”
Bus hired to ferry the children
Additionally, the forest department has arranged for the safety of children studying in distant schools by hiring vehicles for their transportation. Tomar mentioned that Rs 2 lakh has been deposited into the victim’s family’s account as compensation. Range Officer Ashish Nautiyal stated that adequate lighting arrangements have been made to capture the leopard.
