Leopard hiding in med college building shot dead after 48-hr struggle to capture it

A leopard hiding in Shrinagar Medical College building in Uttarakhand since last two days was shot dead in "self defence" on Tuesday after it attacked a group of forest department personnel who were struggling to capture it, a forest official said here.

Six persons suffered minor injuries in the attack by the leopard. Two security guards and a college employee were also injured on Sunday when the animal entered the college premises creating a scare, Conservator of Forest Garhwal Range Nitya Nand Pandey told PTI.

Pandey, who was among the forest department officials supervising the operation, said they had launched a room-to-room search in the four-storey Pharmacology block.

"The room to room search was launched this morning presuming that the leopard was still hiding in block adjoining forests as no one had seen it leaving. Firecrackers were burst to force the leopard to come out," Pandey said.

The leopard jumped out of one of the rooms and pounced on the forest personnel, he said.

"Joy Hukil, a government appointed hunter, had to shoot at the leopard in self defence," he said.

The leopard was shot twice and died on the spot, he said.

Services of a government appointed hunters have to be taken often during such operations, the official said.