Woman fiercely fights off leopard, saves hubby in UP's Bijnor

BIJNOR: Chhaya Devi, 30, and her husband, Anil Singh, 40, were busy harvesting their cane crop at their village in the Bijnor area of UP, when a leopard pounced upon Anil and was about to drag him away. However, a determined Chhaya decided to not let go of her husband without putting up a fight. Displaying great courage, she lunged at the feline and repeatedly attacked it with the sickle she had in her hand.
As a result, the leopard had to eventually retreat from its "prey". The injured big cat fled, though it badly wounded Anil, who is currently in hospital and is said to be stable. His wife also sustained minor injuries. The incident took place in Afzalgarh region of Bijnor district on Thursday evening and Chhaya's heroics have now become the talk of the village. Chhaya told TOI on Friday:
"It all happened in a few seconds and I had to react very quickly to save my husband." Range officer of the area, Pradeep Sharma, sounded an alert and appealed to local villagers not to venture alone in the fields as the "wounded leopard may return for its revenge". In a separate incident, a leopard attacked a 13-year-old girl in nearby Siriyawala village on Friday. Villagers reacted immediately and rescued her. With the wheat harvesting season in full swing, farmers are spending a lot more time in the fields near forests leading to a rise in human-leopard conflicts in the region.