Leopard Attack In Mandi Leaves One Dead, Nine Injured Before Animal Is Killed

Pandemonium broke out after a leopard attacked villagers in three villages of Mandi district early on Wednesday, killing one person and injuring nine others before it was eventually beaten to death by locals, officials said.

Fear spread across Chandyal, Badhyal and Malwana villages in the Balh area as the big cat went on the rampage.

Balbir Singh (40), a resident of Mandi who was visiting relatives in Malwana village, was mauled to death in the attack.

“One person was killed, while nine others were left injured in the attack. The leopard was killed by the villagers,” Mandi Deputy Commissioner Apporv Devgan told PTI.

Among the injured, five — Deena Nath, his wife Rekha Devi, their son Jatin, along with Sahib Singh and Champa Devi — suffered serious injuries and are being treated at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Medical College in Mandi.

Villagers, armed with sticks and sharp-edged weapons, surrounded the leopard. The animal retaliated when cornered, leaving a few villagers with minor injuries.

The leopard was eventually killed by the mob. Forest department officials later arrived at the spot and took the animal’s body into custody.

Officials said a postmortem examination of the leopard is being conducted and other formalities are underway, adding that immediate relief has been provided to the families of the deceased and the injured.