# Leopard Drags Away Five-Year-Old Girl from Courtyard in Devprayag Pauri, Angry Villagers Confine MLA and Forest Team

> A five-year-old girl playing in her courtyard was mauled to death by a leopard near Khandyusain in Devprayag Pauri. The fatal assault triggered intense public outrage, prompting locals to corner the local MLA and lock administrative officers inside a shop.

**Type:** article · **Category:** Uttarakhand · **Published:** 2026-11-04 · **Source:** TrendKia
**Canonical:** https://trendkia.com/en/uttarakhand/devprayag-men-angana-se-masuma-ko-ghasita-le-gaya-guladara-graminon-ka-phuta-gussa-aura-mla-ko-ghera-56488 · **Language:** English
**Tags:** Pauri Garhwal, Devprayag, Leopard Attack, Forest Department, Uttarakhand News, Rajkumar Pori

A horrifying wildlife attack in the Khandyusain area near Devprayag Pauri has triggered widespread grief and panic across the region after a five-year-old child was dragged away and killed by a leopard. The tragic incident occurred right outside the safety of the victim's residence while she was playing, exposing the severe threat posed by big cats venturing into human settlements. The fatal assault immediately sparked massive unrest among residents, who took to the streets to protest recurring administrative negligence and vent their anger against local officials and political representatives.

## Five-Year-Old Arushi Dragged into Woods While Playing
The victim has been identified as five-year-old Arushi, daughter of local resident Krishna Kumar. According to witnesses, the child was spending time in her residential courtyard and was heading towards the house ojli when the predator suddenly emerged from the adjoining brush. The leopard pounced on the unsuspecting girl and began pulling her forcefully toward the dense thickets. Noticing the attack on his sister, her brother Aryan began screaming loudly to raise an alarm. Although surrounding villagers gathered rapidly upon hearing the commotion and rushed to intervene, the wild feline had already disappeared deep into the forest cover with the child. Tragically, the girl succumbed to the attack.

## Locals Surround BJP MLA and Confine Administrative Officers
The child's untimely death sparked immense fury among the local populace, who gathered in large numbers to register their protest. When Pauri BJP MLA Rajkumar Pori arrived at the spot following the development, irate villagers surrounded him, completely blocking his movement and keeping him confined for nearly two hours. The agitation intensified further as the crowd directed its ire at visiting administrative personnel. Protesters physically confronted the forest department team, took the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) and the Pauri Tehsildar hostage, and locked them inside a nearby commercial shop while shouting slogans against departmental apathy.

## DFO Confronted on Site as Officials Promise Tighter Surveillance
Upon receiving alerts regarding the volatile confrontation, Garhwal Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Mahatim Yadav arrived at the village to de-escalate the standoff. During discussions with the gathered crowd, several agitated individuals engaged in shoving and jostling with the senior officer. Order was eventually restored only after extensive dialogue and reassurances from the forest authorities, leading to the release of the confined Tehsildar and the SDO. Confirming the tragedy, Garhwal DFO Mahatim Yadav stated that five-year-old Arushi lost her life following a sudden leopard attack while she was moving outside her residence. Meanwhile, Pauri SDO Ayesha Bisht addressed community safety concerns, affirming that forest personnel are patrolling the vicinity and implementing measures to track the movement of the predator.

## Recurring Encounters Keep Residents in Constant Fear
Community members have expressed severe dissatisfaction with wildlife management, asserting that leopards roam the residential periphery on a regular basis without decisive preventative action from the administration. Villagers recalled that another young girl had previously been targeted by a leopard in the same locality, though she managed to survive that encounter. With dangerous animals repeatedly prowling around habitations, families in the area report living in persistent anxiety. The menace has escalated to a degree where parents consider open courtyards and pedestrian pathways unsafe, leaving young children terrified of stepping outside their doorsteps.

## What this means for you
This tragedy highlights the severe risk posed by predatory wildlife roaming close to mountain settlements and reinforces the need for immediate caution among residents.

- **In Pauri and Devprayag:** Families living in nearby villages must strictly avoid letting young children venture into open courtyards or pedestrian lanes unattended. Residents should carry torches or sticks and avoid walking alone during early morning and late evening hours.
- **Across Uttarakhand Hill Areas:** Communities near forested fringes need to clear bushes surrounding their homes to eliminate potential hiding spots for big cats. Any unusual predator movement should be reported immediately to nearby forest checkposts or local authorities.
- **Administrative Measures:** Following the massive public backlash, the forest division is under intense pressure to deploy trap cages and intensify day and night patrolling. This may temporarily heighten official vigilance and monitoring across vulnerable patches.
- **Public Accountability:** The detention of elected representatives and senior officials signals rising public impatience, compelling regional administrators to address ongoing human-wildlife conflict rather than treating incidents as isolated occurrences.

## Why this happened
The tragic event unfolded due to the unchecked presence of a predatory leopard close to human habitations and the lack of preventive containment following prior encounters.

- **Immediate Cause:** Five-year-old Arushi was playing outdoors in her residential courtyard when a leopard ambushed her from nearby bushes, dragging her into the forest before anyone could rescue her.
- **Underlying Factors:** The settlement near Khandyusain borders dense wooded terrain and thick overgrowth, providing predators easy concealment close to homes. The lack of proactive barriers or capture operations enabled the animal to roam freely near dwellings.
- **Prior Incidents:** Villagers reported that a young girl had already survived a leopard attack in the very same vicinity in the past. The absence of decisive containment following that initial close call allowed the danger to persist.
- **Administrative Outrage:** Recurring complaints regarding predator movements had reportedly seen little tangible intervention from the forest division, triggering public anger that led to the confrontation with officials and lawmakers.

## Questions & Answers

### 1. Who was killed in the leopard attack near Khandyusain in Devprayag Pauri?
Five-year-old Arushi, daughter of Krishna Kumar, lost her life after a leopard snatched her from her house courtyard.

### 2. What was the girl doing when the attack occurred, and who raised the alarm?
She was playing in her courtyard and heading towards the house ojli when the leopard attacked. Her brother Aryan saw the attack and shouted for help.

### 3. Which officials and representatives were held hostage by the angry villagers?
Villagers gheraoed BJP MLA Rajkumar Pori for roughly two hours and locked the forest department team, the SDO, and the Tehsildar inside a local shop.

### 4. What statement did the forest officials give regarding the incident?
Garhwal DFO Mahatim Yadav confirmed the child's death, while SDO Ayesha Bisht stated that patrolling has been initiated to monitor the leopard's movements.

### 5. Had a similar predator encounter occurred in this locality before?
Yes, local residents stated that a leopard had previously attacked another girl in the same area, though she survived.

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