Uttarakhand Govt Provides Rs 10 Lakh Compensation To Family Of Woman Killed By Leopard In Nainital

Nainital: The Uttarakhand government has provided a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the family of Hema Devi, the woman killed in a leopard attack in a village of Nainital district on Friday.

With the rising incidents of leopard and bear attacks in the Garhwal and Kumaon divisions, locals demanded that the forest department deploy dedicated teams to catch the wild animals straying into urban areas and human settlements.

“The family of the woman killed in the leopard attack in Nainital has been given financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh,” said the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Dhari, Anshul Bhatt.

“The state government has taken serious note of the attack and asked the Forest Department to increase vigilance and hunt down the leopard, which killed the 35-year-old Hema Devi in Talli Dini, Dhari village of Nainital district,” he added.

Bhatt said a cage had been installed in the village, and the Forest Department has been instructed to conduct continuous patrols in populated areas. “The measures are taken considering the fear of leopards in the village and their regular sighting in the populated area for the past few days,” he said.

Hema was killed in a leopard attack on Friday, when she left her home for the forest to collect fodder for her cattle. A leopard, which was lying in ambush nearby, attacked her, officials said.

Villagers said that Hema had spotted the leopard earlier and started shouting and throwing stones at it, but the leopard still managed to grab her and drag her into the forest.

They said that the woman's brother-in-law also raised an alarm and attacked the leopard with stones to save her, but the animal quickly dragged her away into the forest.

Upon receiving information about the incident, other members of the woman's family also reached the spot and, along with the villagers, searched the forest, after which her body was recovered. Nathuawakhan Forest Range Officer Vijay Bhatt said upon receiving the information, a team of forest personnel was dispatched immediately to the spot.

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