Thane Tragedy: Leopard Attack Kills 10-Year-Old In Shahapur; Locals Allege Forest Dept Ignored Safety Directives
· Free Press Journal
Thane, April 21: A tragic leopard attack claimed the life of a 10-year-old boy in Maharashtra’s Thane district, triggering outrage among local residents who have accused forest officials of ignoring prior safety directives issued by state authorities.
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Child killed in leopard attack
The incident occurred on Tuesday morning between 9 and 10 am in Kalbhonde Ladha Wadi, which falls under the Dolkhamb forest range in Shahapur taluka.
The victim, identified as Krishna Agivale (10), was reportedly near his house when a leopard, believed to have been lurking in the vicinity, suddenly attacked him. The child sustained fatal injuries and died on the spot.
Locals allege negligence
The shocking incident has spread fear across the region, with villagers alleging that the presence of the leopard had been reported to the forest department several days ago. Despite repeated alerts, no concrete preventive measures were taken, they claimed.
Angry residents gathered at the spot soon after the incident and expressed strong dissatisfaction over what they termed as negligence by forest officials.
Questions are now being raised over the accountability of local forest range officers, forest guards, and other personnel responsible for ensuring public safety in wildlife-prone areas.
Rising leopard sightings ignored
According to locals, increasing leopard sightings in the area had already created panic, and the administration’s failure to intensify patrolling or deploy monitoring systems has now led to a fatal consequence.
Ministerial directives under scrutiny
The incident has also brought into focus directives issued earlier by the Forest Minister, who had instructed the department to step up surveillance and preventive action in areas witnessing human-wildlife conflict.
These directives included increasing ground patrols, deploying AI-based monitoring systems such as cameras and sensors to track leopard movement, and implementing measures to reduce conflict by ensuring availability of prey for wild animals in forested zones.
Additionally, the minister had directed that immediate financial assistance be provided to victims of wildlife attacks and that awareness measures be undertaken to alert citizens. However, locals allege that officials at the Shahapur sub-divisional forest office failed to effectively implement these instructions.
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Following the incident, villagers have demanded immediate installation of cages to capture the leopard, intensified patrolling in the area, and urgent steps to ensure the safety of residents.
The bereaved Agivale family is in deep shock, while the entire region mourns the loss of a young life in what many are calling a preventable tragedy.
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