Big cat burnt, beaten to death in Bahraich

FAIZABAD: A three-year-old female leopard was burnt alive and then beaten to death after it attacked and injured nearly a dozen persons in two villages in Bahraich district, 150 km from the state capital, on Sunday morning. In another case in the same district, a 70-year-old woman was mauled by a leopard on Saturday night.
Talking to TOI, Bahraich district forest officer JP Singh, said: "The incident took place in Katrania Ghat reserve forest area in Bahraich district, when when a female leopard attacked three people each in Nakhi and Dhobia villages this morning and two more people in Khalerpur."
The agitated villagers then allegedly beat up the leopard and when the big cat behind a bush they set it on fire, the DFO said.
Having suffered severe burn injuries, the leopard came out and the villagers beat the big cat to death.
Villagers were enraged
Talking to TOI, Brahmanand Singh, SHO of Ramgaon police station, said: “After the continuous attacks of leopard, villagers were so enraged that they set the bush where the leopard was hiding, on fire on Sunday morning.” The carcass of the animal has been sent for post mortem. The forest department was yet to lodge any police complaint in this regard. In a separate incident, Kaushalya (70) was attacked on Saturday night when she went in the forest area to collect woods in Ramgaon village of Bardia area, the DFO said, adding that the woman died on the spot.