The man v/s animal conflict continues

An angry mob burnt a leopard alive after threatening to kill the forest department officials who tried to stop them in a forested area near Kotdwar in Uttarakhand’s Pauri district on Wednesday evening. The mob of around 400 angry residents threatened them with stones and sharpedged weapons as the officials were trying to tranquillize the seven-year-old big cat. Sources said the big cat was trapped earlier after it was chased and forced to take shelter at a house in nearby Beerobadi village. ‘‘The residents were angry as the leopard had mauled three people from Beerobadi last week,’’ said a source. The source added that they doused the leopard with kerosene and burnt it alive. ‘‘The forest department officials were forced to be silent witnesses to the ghastly act.’’ An official said 10 people were booked under IPC’s different sections and the Wildlife Conservation Act (1982) for killing the big cat. ‘‘We are trying to identify and book more people responsible for the crime.’’