The man, who was mauled by a pair of lions at Chhatbir zoo on Sunday afternoon, was Tuesday identified as Jata Shankar (34) and hailed from Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich district. He is survived by his wife and two children, Krishna (5) and Nandini (7). He had come from UP about 10 days ago and was staying with his nephew Shailesh Morya in Baltana. Morya, who identified Shankar’s body Tuesday, works for an online sales company. Shankar’s brother Rajnikant told Chandigarh Newsline over phone from UP that he was undergoing treatment for depression in a Gorakhpur hospital for the last four years. His post-mortem examination was also conducted Tuesday at Derabassi civil hospital. Derabassi Senior Medical Officer Dr. Sangeeta Jain said that the post-mortem report revealed that Shankar died as his neck bone was broken by the lions. Police said his wife and children were expected to reach here Wednesday. Rajnikant also told Chandigarh Newsline that Shankar had completed his graduation in 2006, but he failed to get any job. “We own around 1.5 acres of land and he used to work in the fields. Around five years ago, we entered into a property dispute with our relatives, after which Shankar went into depression. His condition deteriorated and we took him to the hospital in Gorakhpur. He was on medication for the last four years. In fact, for many months, we did not allow him to go out of home alone,” he said, however, adding that for the last few months, Shankar showed signs of recovery from his ailment. “A few days ago, he told us that he wanted to go to Mohali in search of a job. He told us that since he has done graduation, there are chances that he may find a job in Mohali or nearby areas.” Shankar contacted Morya and started staying with him. “On Sunday, he left home around 5 am and never returned. I searched for him the whole day, but could not find him. When he did not return home, I went to Baltana police post yesterday (Monday) morning and lodged a missing-person complaint. Today (Tuesday) morning, police called me and informed about an unclaimed body lying in Derabassi civil hospital. I went there and identified my uncle,” Morya said. Chief Conservator of Forests Dr. Kuldeep Kumar visited Chhatbir zoo Monday and inspected the lion safari where the incident took place. The zoo was reopened Tuesday for visitors. However, the lion safari continues to remain closed.
