6-Year-Old Killed in Leopard Attack in Maharashtra's Sangli; Villagers Vandalise Forest Office
In the wild heart of rural Maharashtra, a leopard's dinner plans turned a playful evening into tragedy, sparking villagers to play demolition derby on the forest office—because nothing says 'justice' like smashing windows when the real predator's still prowling. It's the ultimate hot take: when bureaucracy snoozes, the mob grabs the hammers, but is torching the tree-huggers' HQ really going to collar that cat?
On Friday night in Biur village, Shirala tehsil, six-year-old Rajveer Hanmant Patil was mauled while playing outside with his four-year-old sister Kartiki; the leopard dragged him 500 feet into a farm before fleeing when spotted, but the boy succumbed to his injuries at Shirala hospital[1][3]. Enraged locals, accusing forest officials of negligence after unanswered calls, vandalized the Shirala forest office, breaking doors, windows, and gates, while refusing entry for the panchnama until officials arrived[1][3]. This incident underscores rising human-leopard conflicts in Sangli, with recent attacks including a heroic sibling rescue in nearby Upwale and broader Maharashtra trends showing leopards encroaching on villages[2][4]. Forest teams are now mobilizing, promising compensation and potential trapping, amid heightened fear as the leopard reportedly returned that night[1].
