Hanur, Chamarajanagar: A 10-year-old boy was killed in a leopard attack while he was travelling towards Nagamale near the sacred area of Male Mahadeshwara Hills on Sunday morning, May 10, officials and local sources said.
The deceased has been identified as Harshit (10), a resident of Bengaluru.
Incident details
According to information, the boy had arrived at the temple town of Male Mahadeshwara Hills along with his family. On Sunday morning, they were travelling towards Nagamale for darshan when a leopard reportedly attacked the child and dragged him away.
After nearly half an hour of search, the boy's body was found. Local sources said the body had severe injuries, including injuries to the neck and other parts, and was blood-stained.
Forest department watchers reached the spot after being informed and alerted senior officials.
Allegations of negligence
Following the incident, some devotees alleged that forest department actions contributed to the incident.
It was alleged that forest department staff used to issue tickets for Nagamale visits only after 7 am, but on Sunday tickets were issued from 6 am, which reportedly led to early movement of devotees in the forest area. A representative of "Namma Kannadigara Vijaya Sena", state organising secretary Ponnachi Snehajeevi Raju, alleged that the forest department was responsible for the incident.
Previous leopard attacks reported
The forest area of Male Mahadeshwara Hills has witnessed repeated leopard attacks. Earlier, a pilgrim youth from Mandya district had died in a similar incident. In another case, a pilgrim trekking with a family had suffered scratch injuries in a leopard attack and survived.
Following such incidents, the latest attack and the death of the child have created concern among devotees and the public.