Awarded for Bravery, Then Booked for Killing Leopard

In a baffling turn of events, an 18-year-old named Parvesh Sharma from Sarli village in Himachal Pradesh has found himself in a legal quandary after killing a leopard in self-defense. The incident occurred on the morning of March 9, when the leopard attacked Sharma as he was walking to his uncle's house. Sharma fought back for approximately 10-12 minutes, eventually killing the animal with stones and a stick.

Following the attack, the forest department acknowledged the act as self-defense and provided Sharma with an ex-gratia assistance of Rs 5,000. However, just two days later, on March 11, Sharma was booked under Section 51 of the Wild Life Protection Act, 1972, for killing a wild animal. This action was initiated based on a complaint from a Forest Beat Officer.

Forest officials stated that registering an FIR and conducting a postmortem are standard procedures when a protected Schedule-1 animal is killed, regardless of self-defense. They referenced Section 11 (2) of the Act, which allows for killing in good faith in defense of oneself or others. However, the final decision on whether the act was justifiable self-defense rests with specialized wildlife courts.

This incident highlights a recent increase in leopard sightings and attacks in the area. Villagers report that leopards have become more frequent, with previous attacks and even fatalities occurring in nearby districts. Residents have previously requested the forest department to set up trap cages due to rising concerns.