Pune: Deputy CM Eknath Shinde Meets Families Of Leopard Attack Victims In Shirur, Assures Swift Action

Pune: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde visited family members who lost their loved ones to fatal leopard attacks in the last 20 days on Thursday in Pune's Shirur tehsil. Shinde consoled the grieving families and gave many assurances to them. Shinde, in his visit, said that soon, the Maharashtra Government will solve the problems faced by them.

A "man-eating" leopard killed three people in the space of 20 days in the Pimparkhed and Jambut villages of Shirur tehsil in Pune. On Tuesday, a leopard was caught in Pimparkhed, while another one was shot dead by a sharpshooter in a nearby area in the wee hours of Wednesday.  

During Shinde's visit, Junnar MLA Sharad Sonawane, ex-Shirur MLA Popatrao Gawade, Assistant Conservator of Forest Smita Rajhans, Shirur Range Forest Officer (RFO) Nilkanth Gawade, and others were present.

Shinde Promises Action, Consoles Family

During the visit, Eknath Shinde sat down on the ground and had discussions with the villagers, where they told Shinde about the problems they are facing. It included the leopard menace, infrastructure issues, and other problems. Shinde listened to complaining locals and promised action.

Then Shinde met the family of 13-year-old Rohan Vilas Bombe, who lost his life in one of the three leopard attacks recently. Speaking to the family, Shinde said, “The state government is seriously pursuing this matter. We will solve the leopard menace problems.” The grieving family demanded accountability from the state government, and Shinde handled the matter calmly.

However, without speaking to the media and avoiding staying there for a long time, Shinde left, citing his schedule.

Angry Villagers Demanded Ajit Pawar & Ganesh Naik To Visit

On Monday, villagers from Khed, Ambegaon, and Shirur tehsil blocked the Pune-Nashik Highway as they demonstrated a rasta roko protest in retaliation for growing human-leopard conflicts in the area. Since then, they demanded that Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who is also the district's Guardian Minister, personally visit the site where leopard attacks have happened. Along with that, protesting villagers also asked Maharashtra Forest Minister Ganesh Naik to visit the area personally.

In an emergency meeting held on Tuesday, Minister Ganesh Naik said he will visit the area soon. However, neither he nor Ajit Pawar has visited it yet. Even after a leopard was caught on Tuesday and another was killed on Wednesday, the villagers are demanding concrete action. Even Shirur MP Dr Amol Kolhe has supported the demands.

The demands include:

- Any leopard known to kill or attack humans is to be shot on sight.

- Instant sterilisation of leopards to control their growing population

- Preventive measures and an action plan to avoid human-leopard conflicts in the region.

- If it's proven that the caught leopard has killed human beings, kill it too.

- Make a safe environment for the villagers of the leopard-affected areas as soon as possible.

Forest Department To Deploy 1,200 Cages & AI Alerts

Maharashtra Forest Minister Ganesh Naik announced comprehensive measures to tackle human-leopard conflicts in Junnar and Shirur, following three recent fatalities.

The plan centres on two main strategies: aggressive trapping of leopards and technology-driven alerts to the local villagers. The Forest Department will immediately install 200 cages and purchase an additional 1,000 on a war footing, deploying a total of 1,200 cages to capture leopards. Captured animals will be relocated to authorised rescue centres.

Crucially, a satellite-based Artificial Intelligence (AI) system will be implemented to issue real-time 'alerts' to citizens regarding leopard movement. Other steps include increasing forest staff, using electric fencing for farms, and forwarding a proposal to the Central Government for a leopard sterilisation programme.

Why Are There So Many Leopards in Junnar & Shirur?

The unusually high number of leopards in the Junnar and Shirur tehsils is a result of landscape and land-use changes there. According to the Wildlife Institute of India, the area supports about “6 to 7 leopards every 100 sq km”.

An official from the Maharashtra Forest Department explained, “The region has a hilly terrain and a network of irrigation projects. It has also seen an increase in the cultivation of crops like sugarcane, bananas, grapes, and pomegranates. These dense plantations provide an ideal cover for leopards to hide and move undetected. Moreover, these plantations also lead to plenty of water sources and domestic animals, which act as easy prey. Abundant food in livestock and pets, plenty of water, dense crop cover, and the absence of major natural competitors have allowed the leopard population to thrive and increasingly overlap with human-settled areas.”