Hundreds of residents from Pimparkhed village in Shirur staged a road blockade on the Pune-Nashik highway Monday morning, demanding a permanent solution to the escalating human-leopard conflict in Maharashtra’s Junnar forest division. In response, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, head of the forest department, issued a shoot-at-sight order for the leopard responsible for the death of a 13-year-old boy on Sunday.An official confirmed that one team of shooters has already arrived in the area, with two additional teams expected by evening.
The protest caused authorities to divert traffic from the highway to alternate routes. The blockade came a day after the tragic death of Rohan Vilas Bombe in Pimparkhed village, Shirur taluka.Rohan was the fifth victim of leopard attacks in Pune district this year and the second fatality in Pimparkhed village alone. This month marks the third leopard-related death in the region.
Following the incident, angry villagers set fire to a forest department vehicle and the office of the department’s Rapid Response Force. Police were deployed to control the tense situation and maintain law and order.Deputy Superintendent of Police Prashant Dhole stated, “Residents have been blocking the Pune-Nashik highway since 10 a.m.
We have deployed the full strength of local police forces and diverted highway traffic through alternate routes. The situation is under close surveillance.”Recent leopard attack fatalities in the region include five-year-old Shivanya Shailesh Bombe on October 12 in Pimparkhed, and 70-year-old Bhagubai Rangnath Jadhav on October 22 in nearby Jambut village.
Earlier this year, an 85-year-old woman died in Shirur taluka, and in September, a six-year-old boy was killed in Junnar taluka.In 2024 alone, Pune district recorded eight deaths from human-leopard conflicts, including five children, marking the second-highest toll in two decades.In response to last year’s repeated incidents, the forest department issued a red alert for 13 villages within a 5-square-kilometer zone in Junnar taluka, advising residents to avoid outdoor activities before 9 a.m. and after 5 p.m.
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