'Aaja! Aaja': 3 Injured As Leopard Charges At Picnickers 'Teasing It' In MP's Shahdol

In a video captured by the group, they can be heard saying 'aaja, aaja (come, come)', instigating the cat, after they spot the leopard in the bushes

Three individuals were injured when a leopard attacked a group of people out for a picnic in Madhya Pradesh's Shahdol area on Sunday. The attack took place in the South Forest Division Range. According to The Times Of India, of the three, two victims, a woman and an off-duty police officer, suffered grievous head injuries.

The incident occurred near the Son River in Khitauli, a riverside village in the Sohagpur area of the Shahdol range, around 150 km from Jabalpur.

In a video captured by the group, they can be heard saying “aaja, aaja (come, come)", instigating the cat, after they spot the leopard in the bushes. In the 29-second video, the leopard can be seen charging into the crowd and capturing one man, but due to the noise, it lets go. Screams are heard before the video cuts.

As per the report, the three injured were — Nitin Samdariya, 35, an ASI with Shahdol police, Akash Kushwaha, 23, and Nandini Singh, 25. A few others also sustained minor injuries in the ensuing stampede to get away.

According to NDTV, the sub-divisional forest officer, Shahdol, Badshah Rawat, said that a similar incident had occurred when a tiger attacked someone a few days ago, and the forest department advises people not the venture into the forests.

An advisory was issued, Rawat said, adding that officials have also alerted the village and other people not to go inside the forest. A control room has also been set up to help people in case such an incident occurs. 

Leopard Kills Girl In Uttarakhand

Meanwhile, two days after a man-eating leopard killed a 13-year-old girl in the Bhilangana area of New Tehri in Uttarakhand, local schools have been shut down for safety. According to a PTI report, officials said that the forest department team is camping in the area in search of the leopard, but it has not been caught by the 'shooters' yet.

At around 4.30 pm on Saturday, the girl, identified as Sakshi, came out of her house in Kot Maher village to play. The leopard, sitting in the bushes, pounced on her. On hearing her screams, the girl's neighbours rushed to her rescue and made loud noises to scare the animal. The leopard dragged her for around 50 metres before escaping into the forest, officials said.