Leopard drags off 9-year-old near Visapur toll naka in Ballarpur; boy found after he claps from thicket
A nine-year-old boy walking to the Mata Mahakali temple with his family was seized by a leopard and later found injured after he clapped to draw help.
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CHANDRAPUR: A leopard attacked nine-year-old Kartik near the Visapur toll naka in Ballarpur on Saturday night and carried him away, but the boy narrowly escaped with his life. He was with his family, who were walking to seek darshan at Mata Mahakali. According to eyewitnesses, the leopard had picked him up. About an hour later, the sound of clapping came from a thicket. When people went to look, they found the injured Kartik there. He has been admitted to the district general hospital, where he is undergoing treatment.
It is said that even in the gravest danger, facing it bravely without panic can bring a person out of the jaws of death. That proved true in Ballarpur. Caught in the leopard's jaws in a sudden attack, the nine-year-old showed presence of mind and courage. The chilling incident did not turn into a larger tragedy, but the boy was injured. He is seriously hurt and is being treated at the district general hospital.
During Navratri, devotees come in large numbers from different districts and states to seek darshan of Mata Mahakali, the presiding deity of Chandrapur. Many travel to Chandrapur on foot out of devotion. Kartik Sanjay Jadhav had come to his paternal aunt's home in Ballarpur from Hyderabad. On October 17, at around 10 pm, he set out on foot from Ballarpur with his aunt and other family members.
The group had just reached the Visapur toll naka when a leopard hiding in the darkness suddenly launched a deadly attack on Kartik. It seized the child in its jaws and carried him off.
The sudden incident caused panic in the area. People present ran after the leopard, shouting. Within a short time, teams of the forest department and police reached the spot. Local people and the administration together searched the surrounding area, but could not find Kartik in the dark.
One to two hours after the incident, people heard the sound of clapping from a dense thicket some distance from the spot. At first they thought someone was playing a prank. But as the clapping continued, they grew suspicious and ran towards the sound.
Going into the thicket, they found Kartik lying drenched in blood. The leopard attack had left deep wounds on his throat and neck, so he could neither speak nor shout loudly. Even in such pain and difficulty, he had tried to draw people's attention by clapping, without panicking, to save his life.
People immediately brought the blood-soaked Kartik out of the thicket and admitted him to the district general hospital for treatment. He is being treated. The courage and presence of mind of young Kartik are being praised across the area. The incident has created fear among people in the Visapur and Ballarpur areas. They are demanding that the forest department deal with the leopard at once.
