A leopard attack across three villages in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district early Wednesday morning left one man dead and nine others injured, triggering panic before the animal was killed by villagers, officials said.
The incident unfolded in Chandyal, Badhyal and Malwana villages in the Balh area, where residents woke to chaos as the big cat moved through inhabited areas and attacked people at multiple locations.
Fear spread quickly as villagers rushed to protect themselves and their families.
Balbir Singh (40), a resident of Mandi who had come to visit relatives in Malwana village, was killed in the attack. According to officials, nine others sustained injuries as the leopard struck before it was cornered.
“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 the PTI.
Five of the injured — Deena Nath, his wife Rekha Devi and their son Jatin, along with Sahib Singh and Champa Devi, suffered serious injuries and are undergoing treatment at Lal Bahadur Shastri Medical College in Mandi.
Others received minor injuries during the confrontation. As the leopard was surrounded, frenzied villagers armed with sticks and sharp-edged weapons attempted to stop it.
When cornered, the animal attacked in retaliation, injuring some locals before being killed. Forest department officials later reached the spot and took custody of the leopard’s body.
A postmortem examination is being conducted, and further proceedings are underway.
Officials said immediate relief has been provided to the family of the deceased and to those injured.