Leopard attacks during Kanwar Yatra prompt security boost

Bijnor: Two Kanwariyas, including an eight-year-old boy, were injured in suspected leopard attacks in Nehtaur town during the ongoing winter Kanwar Yatra, prompting authorities to intensify surveillance along the route.Aniket Kumar, 8, was attacked on Friday after returning from Haridwar with a group of devotees. Police said the group raised an alarm and managed to drive the animal away. He was taken to a community health centre and discharged after treatment.On Wednesday night, Sonu, 32, a resident of Nangaliya Bijna village in Aligarh district, was injured in a similar incident at the same location. Due to darkness, devotees could not clearly identify the animal, but officials suspect it was a leopard. He was also discharged after treatment.Meanwhile, a leopard was trapped in a cage along the Kanwar Yatra route near Raipur Khas village in Najibabad tehsil, forest officials said.With Saturday marking the final day of the yatra, police and district administration have stepped up security arrangements. Devotees from Bijnor, Amroha, Aligarh, Bareilly, Rampur, Sambhal and Moradabad districts pass through the area to collect Ganga water from Haridwar and are scheduled to offer it at Shiv temples on Feb 15.District magistrate Jasjit Kaur directed forest authorities to take preventive measures in leopard-prone areas. Divisional forest officer Jai Singh Kushwah said, "Forest teams were patrolling vulnerable stretches and camera traps had been installed along the route."Bijnor has witnessed frequent leopard movement, particularly in sugarcane fields, and incidents involving big cats have been recorded in recent years.