Watch: Leopard Attacks worker in UP, man fights it off with bare hands |
In a rare show of courage and presence of mind, a man in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri district stood his ground and fought off a leopard that attacked him while he was working at a brick kiln. The shocking incident, which has since gone viral after being shared online by political leader Akhilesh Yadav, took place in Jugunpur village under the Dhaurahara forest range.
Leopard hides inside Kiln chimney, attacks worker
As reported by the Economic Times, according to forest department officials, the incident occurred on Monday when 35-year-old Mihilal, a resident of Girdhari Purwa, was engaged in work at the brick kiln. Unknown to him and other workers, a leopard had taken shelter inside the kiln’s chimney. As Mihilal moved near the structure, the animal suddenly leapt out and attacked him.Despite the sudden assault, Mihilal did not panic. Instead of running away, he resisted the animal’s attack using only his hands. The commotion drew the attention of nearby workers, who rushed to help and began throwing bricks and stones at the leopard, forcing it to retreat into a nearby banana plantation.
Forest officials injured during second encounter
Watch the viral video here: Following the incident, villagers informed the forest department. A team was immediately dispatched to the area in an effort to track the animal. However, when forest officials entered the banana field in search of the leopard, the injured animal attacked again.As per the Economic Times report, Forest Ranger Rajesh Kumar Dixit, Ranger Nripendra Chaturvedi, police officer Ram Sajivan, and a local villager named Iqbal Khan sustained injuries in the second attack.
Multiple injured referred for medical treatment
After the back-to-back incidents, the injured were taken to local hospitals. According to the report, Mihilal, Iqbal Khan, and Forest Ranger Rajesh Dixit were referred to a hospital in Lakhimpur for further treatment. Ranger Chaturvedi and police constable Ram Sajivan were treated at a local facility and later discharged.
Leopard tranquilised and captured
Later in the day, forest teams returned to the area with additional police support, including Inspector Suresh Kumar Mishra and Circle Officer Shamsher Bahadur Singh. They conducted a joint operation to safely capture the leopard. According to the forest department, the animal was tranquilised and taken into custody without further incident, as reported by the Economic Times.Forest officials confirmed that the leopard had injured multiple people, including forest personnel, a local resident, and the kiln worker who was first attacked.Thumb image credit: X
