A leopard was allegedly killed by residents of Nabi Nagar village, following which the forest department decided to lodge an FIR against them, officials said on Sunday.
According to Divisional Forest Officer Manish Singh, the female leopard was chased, its legs tied and pushed around with long sticks by the villagers on Friday.
The animal died on its way to the veterinary hospital after being rescued by a forest department team. Officials had initially claimed that there was no external injury on the carcass.
"Post-mortem has confirmed that the animal was very weak and had internal injuries due to actions of the villagers. They also chased the animal and tied its feet which further deteriorated its health condition and resulted in its death," Mr. Singh said.
"As many as two dozen villagers were involved in attacking the leopard and chasing it. An FIR under relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act will be lodged against the accused," he added.
Last month the Forest Department lodged FIR against 64 villagers for attacking and killing a leopard. The villagers also attacked the forest team then.
