Shiv Sena MLA joins crowd to hit tranquilised leopard near govt guesthouse in Maharashtra

NASHIK: A two-year-old female leopard, spotted near a govt guesthouse at Muktai Nagar in Jalgaon, on Sunday morning was thrashed with wooden sticks and stumps by a crowd of onlookers, including local Shiv Sena MLA Chandrakant Patil, after forest department rescuers darted the animal with a tranquiliser during a two-hour rescue operation.The incident started around 10am when Patil was at the guesthouse in the town to attend a meeting. The guesthouse is in the central part of the town, close to the bus stand and offices of the state public works department.After the leopard was darted, the crowd moved closer, assuming it had fallen unconscious. However, the tranquiliser did not take full effect and the leopard suddenly sprang into motion as people encroached into its space, sparking panic. The crowd then picked up sticks and wooden stumps and thrashed the leopard before the forest officials intervened and rescued it.News of the sighting had spread quickly, drawing a large crowd. Forest and police personnel reached the spot, but were overwhelmed by the number of noisy onlookers. As a precaution, forest teams evacuated nearby public places, including the bus stand and the PWD offices, to avoid any untoward incident.After nearly one-and-a-half hours, the leopard was tranquillised using a dart gun, following which members of the crowd began moving closer to the animal. When the partially sedated animal started moving, some people, including Patil, reportedly used sticks in what they claimed was self-defence.Range forest officer Krupali Shinde said it takes around 15 minutes for the tranquiliser to take full effect. "The leopard was finally secured and safely placed in a cage once it became completely unconscious. A medical examination was conducted and no internal injuries were found. The leopard's condition is stable," she said.The leopard has been kept on the premises of the range forest office in Muktai Nagar, and a further decision would be taken after discussions with senior officials, Shinde added.Ram Dhotre, the deputy conservator of forests, Jalgaon district, told TOI that instructions have been given to the assistant conservator of forests to submit a detailed report on the entire incident. "We will decide whether any offence can be registered against members of the public for reportedly using sticks on the leopard. We will also seek legal advice and consult senior officials," Dhotre said.Dhotre added that the forest area near Muktai Nagar is about 4km from the town and the leopard may have entered the area in search of prey.Meanwhile, speaking to reporters, sitting MLC Eknath Khadse criticised Patil for allegedly beating the leopard with sticks. "Beating an animal that is nearly unconscious is an offence," Khadse said.When contacted, Patil said the leopard was conscious even 30-40 minutes after it was darted, posing a risk if it moved into nearby localities. "We tried to move the leopard so that it would become unconscious. We did not beat the leopard. Moreover, there were only six members in the rescue team, which is inadequate," Patil said.