Leopard kills 10yo boy in in front of father in Kheri village; 4th fatality since March 25

Pilibhit: A 10-year-old boy was mauled to death by a leopard right before his father’s eyes in Raipur village of Lakhimpur Kheri district on Sunday evening. This marks the fourth fatal human-leopard conflict in the region in just two-and-a-half months.Shubham Yadav was accompanying his father, Jawahar Lal Yadav, to their agricultural field to sow paddy when a leopard lurking in an adjacent sugarcane field suddenly attacked, gripping the boy’s neck. Hearing his screams, the father and other people working nearby rushed to help, forcing the leopard to retreat into the fields. Shubham succumbed to his injuries on the way to hospital.The incident triggered massive outrage among villagers, who blocked the Isanagar-Khamaria road with the boy’s body in protest. The demonstration lasted until 1 am on Monday, as the protesters dispersed only after senior administrative and police officials assured the villagers of immediate protective measures and financial assistance.While villagers alleged official apathy regarding stray leopards, UP principal chief conservator of forest (Wildlife), Anuradha Vemuri, said no feline movement had been previously reported in the zone. She suggested the leopard may have taken refuge near a local reservoir due to the extreme heat.The forest department has since deployed three round-the-clock patrolling teams, camera traps and cages with live bait to capture the animal. A compensation of ₹5 lakh has also been announced for the grieving family.This was the fourth fatal man-leopard conflict reported from the rural belt surrounding North Kheri forest division since March 25. Earlier, a 7-year-old girl, Paramjeet Kaur was dragged from her home and killed in village Sidhauna on March 25. Dilshad, 7, was attacked in a wheat field in village Nibauria where his parents were harvesting wheat on April 18. Sandhya Devi, 32, was mauled to death by another leopard in village Sahajna when she was asleep outside her home on April 25 night.