Two women working in a farmland at Govanakoppa village near Dharwad suffered injuries after a wild animal, believed to be a leopard, attacked them on Monday.
According to eyewitnesses, it was a leopard that attacked the women. However, forest officials are yet to confirm it. They said that they are yet to lay their hands any proof to confirm that it was a leopard.
Govanakoppa village is located at a distance of 12 km from Dharwad and the incident occurred when Munjula Totager (of Kavalageri) and Basavannevva Kulkarni were working in the field.
Forest officials immediately rushed to the spot on being informed and shifted the injured women to the District Civil Hospital in Dharwad where both are being treated. They are said to be out of danger.
According to eyewitnesses , when some women were working in a land where Bengal gram is being cultivated, the leopard, which came out of the nearby banana plantation, pounced on Manjula Totager. As the other women raised a hue and cry, the leopard, which was trying to drag Munjula Totager escaped from the scene. Within moments, the women heard another scream from a nearby field forcing them to rush there to see the leopard trying to drag away Basavannevva Kulkarni. As more people rushed to the field and started throwing stones, the wild cat fled.
Both the women have suffered injuries on their face, hands, neck and legs.
No proof yet
Meanwhile, Deputy Conservator of Forests (Dharwad Division) Yashpal Ksheersagar has said that there has been no confirmation yet that it was a leopard.In a statement issued on Monday, he said that forest personnel are trying to ascertain which was the animal that attacked the women and they are yet to get proof that it was a leopard, he said.
He appealed to people of Kavalageri, Chandanamatti, Govanakoppa and other surrounding villages not to venture out in dark. He said that forest personnel are keeping vigil and search operations will be carried out in the night to capture the wild animal. He also appealed to people to not pay heed to rumours about sightings of leopards.
Meanwhile, Dharwad Rural MLA Amrut Desai also visited the District Civil Hospital and enquired about the health of the injured women.
Stray leopard
Last September, a leopard had strayed into a sugarcane field at Kavalgeri and had created panic among the people. After seven days of continuous vigil and operation, a five-year-old leopard was capturedand later released into the Dandeli forest area.
