Lucknow, 13 February 2025: A wedding in Lucknow turned chaotic on Wednesday night when a leopard strayed into a banquet hall, triggering panic among guests and leaving a forest official injured. The bride and groom took shelter in a car for hours as authorities worked to capture the animal, officials said.
The incident occurred in the Buddheshwar Road area, where the uninvited guest sent guests running for safety. “People were screaming and scrambling to escape,” an eyewitness recalled. Even the bride and groom fled the hall and locked themselves inside a car.
Police and Forest Department teams arrived quickly, but subduing the leopard took several hours. “The animal was finally tranquillized and captured around 2 a.m.,” an official said.
During the operation, Forest Department official Mukaddar Ali suffered hand injuries while trying to restrain the leopard, police mentioned.
A video circulating online shows the leopard briefly seizing an official’s weapon during the struggle. Guests remained in their vehicles until the situation was under control, a witness said.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav criticized the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government, linking the incident to “corruption” and human encroachment into forested areas.
“The BJP government, which has failed to control the issue of stray animals, now faces another challenge—wildlife entering cities,” Yadav wrote on X.
“Deforestation and human encroachment are forcing wild animals into urban areas, putting people’s lives at risk.”
Questioning whether the government would take any action, he said, “Will this be addressed or dismissed as just an ‘oversized cat’ incident?”
