Siliguri, 17th December: In a shocking incident, an adult leopard was brutally beaten by forest workers and then shot dead, on Wednesday evening. The news surfaced from in the Simultala village in Rangapani near Siliguri.
Reportedly, the leopard had strayed in the said area and was hiding in a house. When the villagers saw it, the wild animal attacked them injuring around 03 people. Upon receiving the news, a team comprising of forest workers, as well as the Wild Life squad, reached the spot to capture the leopard. Although, the team shot the leopard with a tranquiliser, however, it attacked Ranger Sanjay Dutta injuring him.
Considering the situation to be out of control, the forest workers then started pouncing on the leopard and started beating it horrifically and eventually shot it dead. The carcass of the animal was recovered and taken for autopsy.
Meanwhile, the event has triggered protest among the animal rights groups. Reportedly, a demonstration will be held at Hashmi Chowk (Venus More) against the killing of the leopard and the department’s handling of the incident in Siliguri today.