Garhwal Post Bureau
Pauri, 21 Nov: Pauri district has been witnessing a steady rise in wild animal attacks over the past few months, with leopard attacks in particular spreading panic across rural areas. In a tragic case in the Khirsu development block, a woman was killed after being ambushed by a leopard near her home, sparking widespread tension and outrage. Agitated villagers immediately blocked the Srinagar–Kotdwar National Highway in protest.
Following the woman’s death, a large number of enraged villagers gathered on the highway this morning, sitting on the road and raising slogans against what they termed departmental negligence. Their demands included the immediate shooting of the leopard responsible for attacks on humans and swift as well as adequate compensation for the deceased’s family.
They have also demanded increased patrolling by the Forest Department and increased number of trap cameras, cages and surveillance systems around the village. The protest was so intense that traffic on the National Highway came to a complete standstill for nearly two hours, leaving vehicles stranded on both sides and causing inconvenience to travellers.
On receiving information about the demonstration, the Chief Development Officer (CDO), Pauri, Girish Gunwant reached the site and held discussions with the villagers to pacify them. He assured that their demands would be submitted to the higher officials without delay and that concrete steps would be taken to ensure safety and surveillance in the affected area. Taking the incident seriously, the Forest Department team was instructed to act immediately. The villagers gradually dispersed after the assurance, allowing traffic to resume.
Divisional Forest Officer Pauri, Abhimanyu Singh, stated that the Forest Department team had promptly reached the site after receiving news of the woman’s death. An advance compensation of Rs 1,80,000 has already been released to the deceased’s family. Trap cameras have been installed to monitor the leopard’s movement, and a cage has been placed to capture the animal. The team is camping in the area, with surveillance intensified around the village. Permission to shoot the leopard has also been sought from higher authorities, and a sharpshooter will be deployed as soon as approval is granted.
It may be recalled that the leopard attack had happened last evening in Koti village under the Khirsu development block of Pauri district, leaving the entire area gripped by grief and anger. The victim, 62-year-old Ginni Devi, was ambushed and fatally attacked by a leopard while cutting grass about 300 metres from her home. She died on the spot. News of the attack spread quickly, creating an atmosphere of fear and mourning throughout the village. Residents reported that leopard activity has abnormally increased in recent months and alleged that despite repeated complaints, the department failed to take satisfactory action. They claimed that this negligence has now led to a fatal consequence, deepening the sense of insecurity in the region.
