Leopard attack sparks protest in Udaipur dist

Udaipur: People on Thursday staged a protest outside the MB Hospital mortuary over the killing of a woman by a leopard in Madar village, Udaipur, on Wednesday.
Raising slogans against the forest department, the villagers said that the leopard should be caught or killed as soon as possible so that it does not attack other people in the future. Initially, the villagers refused to allow post-mortem of the deceased and insisted on giving a compensation of Rs 20 lakh to the kin of victim's family.
Udaipur SP Yogesh Goyal, rural MLA Phool Singh Meena and DFO Ajay Chittoda tried to convince the villagers for several hours. The DFO said that the compensation amount of Rs 5 lakh fixed by the forest department will be given to the victim's family.
The SP and MLA said that a letter would be sent to the state govt for additional compensation from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund.
The body was later handed over to the villagers after post-mortem.
On Wednesday, a leopard attacked two women working in the fields in Madar village. Both were injured. Mangibai received injury on her neck and died during treatment at MB Hospital. The other woman, Kesibai, is undergoing treatment in the hospital.
Meanwhile, the forest department officials are trying to track down the maneater leopard and have set up traps in the area. DFO Chittora said that the camera and traps will be placed at this location too.
The department also has the required permission to kill the leopard if necessary. The officials have also advised the villagers to be cautious and avoid going into the fields alone, especially during the early morning and evening hours when leopards are most active.