T Narsipur residents: Killer cats on prowl, what are you doing to save us?

NT Correspondent

Mysuru: With four persons killed in leopard attacks in the last two months in T. Narasipur taluk of Mysuru district, members of various organisations staged a rasta roko on the bridge across River Cauvery on Monday against the failure of the Forest Department to check the menace of leopards.

They raised slogans against the district administration, state government and the forest department for not being able to stop such incidents. The protest continue for almost two hours and the movement of vehicles towards Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Kollegal, Mandya and other places remained affected.

The latest victim was an eleven-year-old boy who was killed by a leopard when he had gone out to attend nature’s call. The leopard ate away his head in a gruesome incident. The forest department is not showing any interest to kill or nab the marauding leopards with the initial euphoria after CM Bommai gave instructions to end the menace, dying out.

The number of personnel deployed for Operation Leopard has dwindled indicating the department’s lack of interest in this mission. The poor farmers are scared to go to the agricultural fields fearing attacks by leopards.

The department has also stopped using drones to locate the hiding leopards. On receipt of information, MLA M. Ashwin Kumar and Deputy Commissioner Dr K.V. Rajendra visited the spot and heard the pleas of the people. Samtrupti Kumar, a local Congress leader said leopards have killed four persons in three months.

Residents had sought tough action when the first incident took place near a hillock which claimed the life of a law student but the department kept quiet. Stern action must be taken against officials for their neglect, he added.

Meanwhile, the emotional grandfather of the 11-year old boy, warned of dire consequences if such deaths continue to occur. The senior citizen lost his temper and shouted at the lady officer for the department’s failure to nab the leopard.