Nashik: A shocking incident that occurred on Sunday morning (January 4) in Shivde village of Sinnar taluka has shaken the area. A leopard attacked Gorakh Laxman Jadhav (age 43, resident of Savta Malinagar), a farm labourer, from behind while he was having breakfast in the field. In the struggle, both the farm labourer and the leopard fell into a nearby well. The farm labourer died in the incident, and the leopard also drowned.
Gorakh Jadhav had gone to Ganpat Amrita Chavanke's field to water the wheat crop. At 10 am, while he was having breakfast under a mango tree, a leopard hiding nearby attacked him on the neck. Nearby labourers raised an alarm. However, during the struggle with the leopard, both fell into a hastily constructed well made of bricks. The farm labourer died in the well, while the leopard, trapped in a cage, died after remaining in the water for four hours.
Women working in a nearby field, harvesting onions, witnessed the incident. They cried out for help. Villagers from the surrounding area rushed to the well. The exhausted leopard, upon reaching the well, was sitting on the base of an electric pump, which hindered the rescue efforts.
Upon receiving information about the incident, forest department officials arrived at the scene. However, the villagers took an aggressive stance, demanding that the leopard that killed the farm labourer be killed first before the body was retrieved. This led to tense discussions for about five hours. The forest department faced a major challenge in handling the situation.
Even After Being Trapped in a Cage...
The forest department lowered a cage into the well and trapped the leopard. However, the villagers objected to removing the cage. At that time, swimmer Govind Tupe was called in. He retrieved the farm laborer's body from the well, which had six feet of water.
The cage proved to be an obstacle during the retrieval, and Tupe submerged underwater two or three times. It was also revealed that the leopard in the cage had unfortunately died. An accidental death report has been registered at the Sinnar police station regarding this incident.
Attack marks on the body
After the body was retrieved, forest department officials examined it. Leopard paw marks were found on the head and stomach. There were also serious injuries. Locals informed that the same leopard had attacked and injured two children in the Tasdara area of Shivde village earlier that morning. The injured children have been admitted to a private hospital.
Due to the continuous incidents, there is an atmosphere of fear and anger among the farmers and villagers. Financial assistance to the heirs of the deceased in the leopard attack: Assistant Conservator of Forests Kalpana Waghere
“This incident is extremely unfortunate. As per the law, financial assistance will be provided as compensation to the heirs of the deceased. Instructions have been given to the officials to complete the official paperwork in this regard. Villagers should cooperate with restraint. The process of capturing the leopards roaming in the Shivde, Konambe, and Pandhurli village areas is underway at a rapid pace. Two cages have been set up. More cages will be installed.”
This incident highlights the growing problem of human-leopard conflict. Citizens are being urged to be cautious while working in the fields in rural areas.
