Darjeeling: As the leopard menace continues in Dooars, a mutilated body of a four-year-old-girl was recovered from the Garganda Tea Estate in Jalpaiguri.
On Tuesday evening, four-year old Pranita Oraon was dragged away by a leopard. Her mother Puja Oraon was present at the time of the incident. A frantic search ensued at around 7 pm on Tuesday. The residents of the Garganda Tea Garden; police from Madarihat police station and forest personnel had launched a search operation.
Finally on Wednesday, the gory body of the girl was spotted around a kilometer away from her residence, torn in four pieces. Angry residents and workers launched an agitation. "Around seven tea gardens under Duncan in this area are infested with leopards. There are more than 100 leopards in these gardens. However, the number of leopard cages is only a few. That too most of the time no bait (goats) are put into these cages. Even the tea garden managements are to be blamed. As the gardens and not maintained, the area has become like a forest. They have become a breeding ground of leopards," retorted Narayan, a tea garden worker.
With assurances from the Forest department of necessary, the agitation was lifted. The Forest department has assured a job for a family member of the deceased. A watch group will be constituted with eight residents in each of the vulnerable tea gardens. Search lights will be installed in the gardens and five leopard cages will be put up in each of these gardens.
Rs 2 lakh ex gratia would be paid to the family of the deceased by the Forest department. "It is truly a sad incident. The Forest department will extend its full cooperation to the family of the deceased. The Duncan company is largely to be blamed for this plight. For more than four years they have not pruned the gardens and cleaned it. The gardens are like forests now," stated Binay Krishna Barman, state Forest minister.
The garden remained closed on Wednesday with no work. Even the schools in the area remained closed.
"Never in my wildest dream had I imagined that my little daughter would meet such an end," stated Puja Oraon, mother of the deceased.