Pune-Nashik Highway Block: Residents Protest Demanding Permanent Solution to Rising Leopard Attacks in Shirur

Hundreds of residents of Pimparkhed village in Shirur staged a road blockade on the Pune–Nashik highway on Monday morning, demanding a long-term solution to the escalating human-leopard conflict in Maharashtra’s Junnar forest division, reported The Indian Express. The agitation disrupted traffic movement, forcing the police to divert vehicles to alternative routes. The protest erupted a day after a tragic incident on Sunday afternoon, when a 13-year-old boy, Rohan Vilas Bombe, was attacked and killed by a leopard while playing near his home, sparking outrage and fear among locals, the report further added.

The latest incident marks the fifth fatal leopard attack in Pune district this year and the second in Pimparkhed village within weeks. Enraged villagers torched a forest department vehicle and set fire to the Rapid Response Force office, expressing anger over alleged inaction by authorities, reported The Indian Express. The atmosphere remained tense as police personnel were deployed to prevent further unrest. Deputy Superintendent of Police Prashant Dhole confirmed that the blockade began around 10 a.m., and law enforcement was closely monitoring the situation while traffic diversions were put in place to ensure public safety, the report further added.

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The recent death follows two earlier tragedies last month — on October 12, five-year-old Shivanya Shailesh Bombe was killed by a leopard in Pimparkhed, and on October 22, 70-year-old Bhagubai Rangnath Jadhav lost her life to a similar attack in nearby Jambut village. Earlier this year, an 85-year-old woman was mauled in April, and in late September, a six-year-old boy studying outside his home in Junnar taluka also fell victim. In total, Pune district has reported eight human deaths — five of them children — from leopard attacks in 2024, making it one of the deadliest years in two decades.

Following the surge in attacks, the forest department had last year issued a red alert covering 13 villages within a five-square-kilometre radius of Junnar taluka. Residents were urged to stay indoors during early mornings and late evenings to minimize encounters. However, despite these precautions, the recent spate of attacks has reignited fears and prompted renewed demands for stronger wildlife management, relocation measures, and immediate government intervention to ensure the safety of rural communities living along the forest fringes.