‘I was holding his hand’: 10-year-old Bengaluru boy killed by leopard during family pilgrimage to MM Hills
This is the second such fatal leopard attack on the Male Mahadeshwara Hills Temple trail this year.
BJP MLA K Gopalaiah blamed negligence by the Forest Department and urged Forest Minister Eashwar Khandre to implement stronger safety measures to prevent human-animal conflict. Express Photo A 10-year-old boy from Bengaluru was killed in a leopard attack while walking with his family to the Male Mahadeshwara Hills Temple in Karnataka’s Chamarajanagar district Sunday, triggering renewed concerns over safety measures in the MM Hills Wildlife Sanctuary.
The victim, identified as Harshith Gowda, was a resident of Kamakshipalya in Bengaluru.
The incident occurred around 7.30 am on Sunday, when Harshith was walking with his mother, Pavithra Gowda, inside the MM Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, a home to tigers and leopards. Like many devotees, Harshith and his family were walking to the Male Mahadeshwara Temple for a religious ritual.
Pavithra, a mother of two, said devotees were charged Rs 200 per person to use the walking route.
“The forest officials did not say anything about the presence of any wild animals. There were a lot of people walking. I was holding Harshith’s hand, and I asked him to chant the god’s name. In a fraction of a second, the leopard snatched my son and fled. By the time I realised, he was already taken away,” she said.
Following the attack, forest department officials launched a search operation. By around 2 pm, Harshith’s badly mutilated body was found in the forest.
Harshith’s father, Suresh Gowda, said the family had no idea about the danger and received little immediate help. “My eldest son was walking with his friends just a few metres away from the place where the leopard attacked,” he added.
Harshith’s body was brought to Bengaluru Monday morning, and his last rites were performed.
Local BJP MLA K Gopalaiah blamed negligence by the Forest Department and urged Forest Minister Eashwar Khandre to implement stronger safety measures to prevent human-animal conflict.
The incident has once again sparked public anger over what many see as the Karnataka Forest Department’s inadequate safety measures. A similar incident took place in January, when another devotee from Mandya was killed while walking along the same route.
The MM Hills Wildlife Sanctuary is located near the tri-junction of Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. Every year, many devotees from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu walk to the hilltop temple as part of their pilgrimage.
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