In a highly unusual and attention-grabbing protest, independent MLA Sharad Sonawane from Junnar arrived at the Maharashtra Assembly's Winter Session on Wednesday dressed in a leopard-print costume to protest against the rising incidents of leopard attacks in the state. Sonawane said the dramatic gesture was intended to highlight the alarming rise in leopard attacks across the state, particularly in rural and forest-fringe areas.
The MLA's novel gesture came on a day when seven people were injured in a leopard attack in Pardi area of Nagpur city itself. The animal was captured by the forest department following the incident in the morning.
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Raising this issue since 2014
Speaking media, Sonawane said, "Many people have died due to this. I have been raising this issue since 2014. The leopard attacks should be considered as 'disaster'. Two rescue centres in Junnar and Ahilyanagar should be made immediately. I am assured that CM Devendra Fadnavis will take immediate action on this."
"In my constituency, 55 people have lost their lives in the last three months due to leopard attacks. I had warned the government about this in the 2014-15 Winter Session," he added.
People in the area are living in fear, he said, demanding that the government should build rescue centres which can accommodate up to 2,000 leopards in Junnar taluka and Ahilyanagar district.
Maharashtra Forest Minister's bizarre remark
Earlier on Tuesday, Maharashtra Forest Minister Ganesh Naik said he had proposed releasing goats in large numbers inside forest areas so that leopards find sufficient prey in their natural habitat and do not stray into human settlements in search of food.
"If four people are killed in leopard attacks, the state must pay Rs 1 crore (as compensation). So I told officials, instead of paying compensation after deaths, release goats worth Rs 1 crore into the forest so leopards do not venture into human habitats," the minister said.
He was replying to a calling attention motion moved by NCP (SP) MLA Jitendra Awhad in the Maharashtra Assembly about the rising number of leopard attacks in the state. Naik said that Ahilyanagar, Pune, and Nashik districts have recorded the most leopard-related incidents.
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