Pune: Following the three fatal leopard attacks in Shirur Tehsil and constant fear and panic in the area for the last 20 days, local citizens blocked the Pune-Nashik Highway near Manchar on Monday. A rasta roko protest, which began at 11 am, saw large participation from residents of Ambegaon, Khed, Junnar, and Shirur Tehsils of the northeastern part of Pune District.
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The protest completely paralysed the forever-busy highway, and traffic congestion and lines of vehicles of several kilometres were reported on both sides. Officials from the Pune Rural Police Force and the Maharashtra Revenue Department had a dialogue with enraged citizens and tried to control the situation. However, residents demand urgent action to control the leopard attacks in the area and have put pressure on the administration.
Residents raised aggressive slogans in the protest and demanded that Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar (also Guardian Minister of the district), Maharashtra Forest Minister Ganesh Naik, and Pune District Collector Jitendra Dudi visit the site for a direct inspection in the coming days. They also demanded a concrete plan to avoid human-leopard conflicts and demanded that this issue be declared a state-level disaster. They also demanded shoot-at-sight orders be declared for leopards that are proven dangerous to humans.
Residents & Opposition Aggressive Over Leopard Menace
Dhondiram Jadhav, a resident of Manchar, told The Free Press Journal, “The administration is only giving assurances. However, our demand is for immediate, concrete security and measures, not just promises. Stringent steps in sensitive animal-human conflicts and science-based solutions, such as cages, tracking, Washington crossings, and rehabilitation options, must be considered. A human life is any day more valuable compared to a leopard's.”
The opposition has sharply criticised the ruling party, alleging that the administration has failed to control the leopard attacks. The opposition is criticising the government, saying it is limited only to statements, with zero actual measures implemented. The ruling party has countered, arguing that the administration and Forest Department are working on a war footing, and the opposition is merely aggravating the situation for political gain.
All these developments are causing confusion among voters. While the fear of leopard attacks persists, the political accusations and counter-accusations have further raised the temperature. A verbal war has erupted among party workers on social media at the village level. Meanwhile, some social organisations have demanded concrete solutions and urged that politics be kept out of the issue. They have appealed for collective efforts to ensure citizen safety, farmer protection, and leopard control. However, with the election atmosphere building up, the leopard issue has become a central point of political campaigning.
Avoid Politicising Human-Leopard Conflicts, Says Dilip Walse Patil
Former Maharashtra Home Minister and Ambegaon MLA Dilip Walse Patil, speaking to the media, said, “Many heartbreaking incidents have occurred in recent days, and the lives of farmers and their livestock have been devastated. I instruct my party workers to participate in the people's grief and act sensitively instead of politicising these unfortunate events. A 'Leopard Sterilisation Proposal' has been sent to the Central Government to control the increasing leopard population, and efforts are on a war footing to implement that law.”
Walse Patil also advised workers to exercise restraint while commenting on this issue on social media. He urged them to avoid any statement that would hurt people's feelings. He also appealed to the administration to take immediate steps for the safety of the people.
(With Inputs from ANI)
