A leopard on the loose which had attacked a tea garden worker in Upper Assam’s Khumtai tea estate was axed to death an angry mob in the evening hours of October 27th, 2019.
The incident took place while the villager Jitu Gogoi(45) was cleaning his tea garden area when the big cat ventured into the fields and attacked him. Gogoi who was left with injury marks on his hands and legs immediately raised a hue and cry and the locals came out of their houses with machete and axe for help. In a fit of rage, they axed the leopard to death.
“I was cleaning the tea estate area when the best came running towards me and attacked me. When I shouted for help the villagers came running for help and in self-defense, they killed the leopard,” said Gogoi.
“At present, there are three leopards who often stray into the residential area. Panic has gripped the village due to the frequent conflicts,” he added.
Another local said that the leopards have been giving sleepless nights to the farmers including the forest officials since the past few months and that the farmers are even scared to venture into their agricultural fields fearing an attack.
“We urge the concerned department to immediately look into the matter and arrange cages with bait to trap leopards,” the local added.
Photo: Rajib Karmakar
