Lucknow: Panic spread across villages near the Katarniaghat forest area after a leopard attacked a young girl and a villager in two separate incidents, leaving both seriously injured.Forest officials launched a search operation and heightened vigilance in the affected areas. The first incident occurred around noon on Monday in Kakri village under the Nanpara forest range. Tara (9) was walking with her mother, Sunita Devi, and aunt to a nearby field to bring fodder for cattle when a leopard hiding in a maize field suddenly pounced on the child from behind. The animal grabbed her in its jaws and began dragging her. Hearing Tara’s screams, Sunita rushed towards the animal, shouting and confronting it. She reportedly struggled with the leopard for nearly 3 minutes while the girl’s aunt raised an alarm. Farmers working in nearby fields rushed to the spot after hearing the commotion. Seeing the gathering crowd, the leopard released Tara and fled back into the maize fields. Tara sustained deep injuries on her back, legs, and hip. Her family rushed her to a community health centre, where she received primary treatment before being discharged. Nanpara ranger Piyush Gupta said forest teams found leopard pugmarks in the area and suspected the animal may still be hiding in the dense maize fields nearby. “A cage has already been installed and teams are keeping constant vigil,” he said. In another incident on Sunday night, a leopard attacked a villager in Bajpur Bankati Gulra village under the Katarniaghat range. Ashish Kumar (40) was sitting outside his house around 9 pm when the leopard suddenly lunged at him. Kumar fought back bravely and raised an alarm. Hearing the noise, nearby residents rushed to help, forcing the leopard to retreat towards the Saryu canal. Kumar suffered deep injuries on his head and hands. Villagers rushed him to the PHC in Sujauli, from where he was referred to the CHC in Mihinpurwa for further treatment. Katarniaghat ranger Ashish Gaur said forest department teams are patrolling the villages and monitoring the leopard’s movement. “Residents have been advised to remain alert and avoid venturing alone into fields or forest areas,” he said.
