Farmer beats leopard to death with stick in 'self-defence' in Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow: A 55-year old farmer allegedly beat a leopard to death with a stick in Uttar Pradesh's Bijnore district in ''self-defence'

According to the reports, the farmer, Tegveer Singh, an ex-army jawan, was attacked by a leopard while he was working in the field on the Bhikkawala-Kalagarh link road in Afzalgarh area in the district on Wednesday.

As the leopard tried to drag the farmer into the nearby bushes, Singh, who had a stick, hit on the head of the leopard a number of times in a bid to save himself.

The fight lasted for around five minutes during which the farmer sustained severe injuries. He, however, showed great courage and ultimately managed to kill the leopard.

Reports said that Singh was admitted to a hospital in Kashipur in the neighbouring hill state of Uttarakhand where his condition was stated to be critical. '

"Singh has sustained injuries on his chest, face, abdomen and neck.....his condition is critical,'' said an official in Kashipur.

Some reports said that the locals were busy shooting the dead leopard instead of rushing the seriously injured farmer to the hospital.

An irate mob of locals later created a ruckus when senior forest and police officials reached the spot on getting the information. They raised slogans against the officials alleging that the leopards had attacked the villagers a number of times in the past and that their complaints to the forest departments yielded no response.

The local villagers demanded that the forest department set up an outpost there and monitor the movement of the leopards in the area. .