Leopard enters BJP leader's Srinagar house, caught

Samaan Lateef

Srinagar, March 23

BJP general secretary Ashok Kaul had a narrow escape on Wednesday after a leopard entered his official residence in Srinagar.

Kaul was having breakfast at his residence when a leopard appeared on the lawn, an eyewitness said.

The security guards of Kaul created a hue and cry, which made the leopard flee from the spot.

The wildlife department officials were informed. They captured the leopard at Sonwar locality in Srinagar.

Officials say the leopard had taken shelter in Church Lane, the VIP residential colony at Sonwar, following which the wildlife team caught the leopard and moved it to Dachigam national park.

Last June, the tragic killing of a four-year-old girl, Adda Mudasir, had brought the spotlight on the increasing incidence of man-animal conflict in Kashmir, a tragedy that has been largely ignored amidst the ongoing political conflict in the region.

At least 196 people have been killed and 2,325 injured by wild animals since 2011 in Kashmir.