A farmer and a leopard were killed in a rare and violent human-wildlife encounter in Maharashtra’s Nashik district after the big cat attacked the man and both fell into a well during a struggle, police said on Sunday.

The incident occurred in Shivde village of Sinnar taluka, where the deceased farmer was identified as Gorakh Jadhav, a resident of Savta Mali, a police official said.

“Jadhav was having lunch after watering his wheat crop in the afternoon when he was attacked by a leopard. In the struggle that ensued as Jadhav tried to save himself, he and the leopard fell into a nearby well,” the official said.

A forest department team rushed to the spot but found villagers in an agitated mood following Jadhav’s death. Locals opposed efforts to rescue the animal, the official said.

Forest officials and police attempted to pacify the crowd for over three hours. By the time the situation eased, the leopard had died due to injuries sustained in the fall, he added.

"They did not allow the forest team to drop a cage into the well to save the leopard and bring it up. While Jadhav's body was sent to Sinnar rural hospital for post mortem, the leopard's carcass was taken away by the forest department for disposal as per NTCA guidelines," the official informed.