As the nation mourns on the tragic accidental death of a pregnant elephant in Kerala, yet another shocking report on animal killing comes from Assam's Guwahati where a leopard was ruthlessly beaten to death by the locals.
Leopard killed in Assam
The locals in Katahbari area of Gorchuk in Guwahati have allegedly beaten the wild animal to death and even removed its teeth and nails after killing. Kathabari area falls under the Fatasil reserve forest which spreads over 670 hectares in Guwahati.
The police have arrested five adults and a minor on Sunday, June 7. According to the FIR filed by the forest department, the leopard was killed by locals around 9:30 am in the Kathabari area. A video now viral on the incident shows the people parading with the dead animal.
The Garchuk police in Guwahati have arrested six persons in connection with the killing of the feline. The Assam police took to their Twitter handle to announce the arrest. Investigation is underway to find other culprits.
"Acting swiftly, Guwahati Police arrested 6 people, including a juvenile for the killing of a Leopard that took place today at Katahbari Pahar. Gorchuk PS Case No 315/2020 has been registered and investigation is on to apprehend others involved," wrote the Assam police in their Twitter handle.
According to the villagers, the leopard had been creating terror in the area for the last several days which forced them to keep a trap for the animal. In their second attempt to trap it, the villagers allegedly pursued and killed the leopard which already looked old and weak due to starvation.
With this, Assam has to date reported five instances of leopards being allegedly killed by the locals. Guwahati, the largest city in the state, has several notified reserve forests in and around it.
Earlier, three leopards were killed in Golaghat district in separate incidents and one was reportedly killed in Jorhat.
The minor arrested regarding the killing in Kathabari was later sent to a remand home. "We have arrested 5 persons and a minor on charges of killing the leopard. Investigations are underway to arrest others involved in the act," said Dhirendra Kalita, in-charge of Garchuk police station.
Locals kill leopard in Guwahati, Assam. Locals are seen carrying out a procession with carcass. pic.twitter.com/bKBDFGaxSB
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) June 7, 2020
