Solan, March 10: A young student from the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) Arki survived a life-threatening encounter with a leopard on Monday morning after a prolonged physical struggle in Sarli village. The youth, identified as Pravesh Sharma, managed to overpower and kill the approximately one-year-old animal after it ambushed him while he was crossing his fields to fetch milk around 7 a.m.
The encounter lasted nearly 12 minutes, during which Sharma demonstrated significant presence of mind. Despite the sudden nature of the assault, he fought back by grabbing the leopard’s jaws and eventually neutralizing the predator. While the youth sustained multiple scratches during the fight, local officials confirmed he did not suffer any life-altering or serious injuries.
Community members noted that the presence of the leopard had been reported to authorities as early as March 6. Shyam Lal, the youth’s uncle, stated that residents had previously requested the Forest Department to install a cage to capture the animal. Prior to the confrontation with Sharma, the same leopard had reportedly chased a scooter rider in the area earlier that morning, forcing the individual to abandon his vehicle.
Forest Divisional Officer Rajkumar Sharma visited the site following the incident to assess the situation and provide an immediate relief of Rs 5,000 to the injured student. The officer attributed the animal’s behavior to the shrinking of natural habitats, which frequently drives wildlife into human settlements in search of sustenance.
“Leopards usually attack humans and domesticated animals at night,” the officer maintained, adding that the timing of this morning attack reflected the desperation of the young animal. He affirmed that while the department conducts awareness campaigns to guide villagers on wildlife protocols, the process of installing cages remains a complex technical task managed by experts.
