21 August,2026 02:50 PM IST | Rajasthan | mid-day online correspondent
Representational image. File pic
A three-year-old boy was killed after a leopard attacked him in Rajasthan's Sawai Madhopur district, forest officials said Friday.
According to PTI, Deputy Conservator of Forests of Ranthambore Tiger Reserve Manas Singh said that the child, Dilkhush Bairwa, was playing in the courtyard of his house on Thursday when the leopard dragged him towards the forest.
The official added, "Following the incident, the child's family members and villagers launched a search operation. A forest department team also joined the search after being alerted."
Furthermore, the child was eventually found in an injured condition on a hill, Singh said. Subsequently, he was rushed to the district hospital, where doctors declared him dead, the official said.
"The incident triggered anger among villagers, who later reached the Phalodi range office and staged a protest. During the protest, a motorcycle kept at the range office was set on fire," officials further added.
The villagers have demanded that the forest department strengthen security measures in areas adjoining human habitation to prevent further attacks.
A five-year-old girl was killed after a leopard attacked and dragged her away while she was sleeping outside a cowshed in Pune district's Shirur taluka in the early hours of July 22.
The deceased, Bhagyashree Sandeep Ware, was originally from Karodi village in Ahilyanagar district. Her family had been staying in Pimpalsuti village in Shirur taluka, where they worked as labourers.
According to Shirur police, the attack took place around 2:40 am. Bhagyashree was sleeping with her family outside the cowshed of their employer, Machhindra Bhosale, when the leopard entered the premises and carried her away.
Her uncle, Babasaheb Kondiba Ware, 36, who was sleeping nearby, woke up after hearing a noise and saw the leopard carrying the child. The family raised an alarm and chased the animal, but it disappeared into a nearby sugarcane field.
The incident was reported to the forest department, following which officials launched a search operation. Bhagyashree was found with severe injuries in the sugarcane field and rushed to the Rural Hospital at Nhavare, where doctors declared her dead before treatment. According to forest department officials, around 14 fatal leopard attacks have been reported in the region over the past decade.
(With inputs from PTI)
