Pauri, April 3 – A four-year-old girl was killed in a leopard attack in the Pauri district of Uttarakhand, officials said on Friday.
The incident occurred around 9 pm on Thursday in the Bhatkot village in the Pokhra area, where the child, Drishti Rawat, was having dinner with her sister and grandmother near her house. A leopard suddenly snatched her and fled towards the forest, they said.
Villagers launched a search following the incident, and the mutilated body of the child was later recovered about two kilometers from the house.
Police and forest department teams reached the spot, but agitated villagers staged a protest, demanding the presence of senior officials and initially prevented the authorities from removing the body.
On Friday morning, Chaubattakhal Sub-Divisional Magistrate Rekha Arya and Divisional Forest Officer Mahatim Yadav reached the village, after which a post-mortem was conducted near the house and the body was handed over to the family.
Yadav met the girl’s family and assured them of all possible assistance according to the rules.
The forest department has initiated comprehensive measures to monitor the leopard and ensure the safety of the locals.
In view of the threat posed by the leopard, a precautionary holiday has been declared for schools in the Pokhra and Bironkhal areas.
Block Education Officer Manoj Kumar Joshi said that, acting on the directives of District Magistrate Swati S Bhadauria, schools in the affected areas will remain closed on April 4 and April 6 to ensure the safety of the students.