Suresh Rathwa says the big cat, which had its jaws clamped around his daughter’s neck, lunged in a bid to escape but was stranded due to barbed wire fencing. (Photo generated using AI)
Suresh Rathwa barely had a few seconds to respond when he heard his four-year-old’s screams tear through the silence of a hamlet in Chhota Udepur on Wednesday evening. He heard a thud against a metal sheet when his instincts kicked in, and Suresh found himself chasing a leopardthat had grabbed his daughter by her neck.
Moments ago, he was trying to warn Dhruvisha against venturing into the dark, and to stay close to him. Rathwa (35), who works as a helper at the Gujarat Electricity Board (GEB) office, had just returned home, located in Pavi Jetpur taluka’s Nani Rasli area, when his daughter was attacked.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Rathwa (35), who works as a helper at the Gujarat Electricity Board (GEB) office, says: “I had just returned from work and was having a bath in the courtyard… It had turned dark as it was almost 7 pm. Dhruvisha was walking towards me when I warned her not to venture outside. But just as I had finished the sentence, I heard her scream and a loud bang on a metal sheet in the compound. As if I almost knew…I dashed in the direction of the noise. I saw the leopard running towards a nearby farm and chased it…”
Rathwa says the big cat, which had its jaws clamped around his daughter’s neck, lunged in a bid to escape but was stranded due to barbed wire fencing. “When it tried to escape through the adjacent farm, it took a 10-foot leap, but it was not able to escape due to a barbed wire fence… Since I was chasing the leopard, I saw it drop Dhruvisha from its jaws… I ran to pick her up and rescued her… The leopard escaped but came back to find Dhruvisha. Then, it was chased by the villagers…”
The second of Rathwa’s three children—his two sons are aged 6 and 2—Dhruvisha is currently admitted to a hospital in Bodeli taluka to undergo treatment for injuries sustained in the attack. “She has serious injuries on her neck and face… She lost a lot of blood, but doctors say she is out of danger. We have been told she might need cosmetic surgery later,” Rathwa says.
Rathwa adds that although leopards are often sighted in the village periphery, which is located only a few metres away from a forest area, there have been no reports of a big cat attacking domestic animals, leave alone humans, in the village, which has a population of about 1,300. “This is the first such incident. It (the leopard) was hiding in a vegetable field facing our house…crouching in the fully grown brinjal crop. We called the forest department, and a cage was set up… The incident has created panic in the area,” he notes.
Forest officials said that the cage has been set up to rescue a sub-adult leopard and the movement was being tracked to ensure that it does not indulge in another attack as it had returned to “fetch” its prey.
Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues.
Expertise:
Core Authority & Specialization: Her reporting is characterized by a comprehensive grasp of the complex factors shaping Central Gujarat, which comprises a vast tribal population, including:
Politics and Administration: In-depth analysis of dynamics within factions of political parties and how it affects the affairs in the region, visits of national leaders making prominent statements, and government policy decisions impacting the population on ground.
Crucial Regional Projects: She consistently reports on the socio-economic and political impact of infrastructure projects in the region, especially the Statue of Unity, the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail bullet train project as well as the National Highway infrastructure.
Social Justice and Human Rights: Her reporting offers deep coverage of sensitive human-interest topics, including gender, crime, and tribal issues. Her reports cover legal proceedings from various district courts as well as the Gujarat High Court (e.g., the Bilkis Bano case remission, POCSO court orders, Public Interest Litigations), the plight of tribal communities, and broader social conflicts (e.g., Kheda flogging case).
Local Impact & Disaster Reporting: Excels in documenting the immediate impact of events on communities, such as the political and civic fallout of the Vadodara floods, the subsequent public anger, and the long-delayed river redevelopment projects, Harni Boat Tragedy, Air India crash, bringing out a blend of stories from the investigations as well as human emotions.
Special Interest Beat: She tracks incidents concerning Non-Resident Gujaratis (NRIs) including crime and legal battles abroad, issues of illegal immigration and deportations, as well as social events connecting the local Gujarati experience to the global diaspora. ... Read More
