Representative image
A seven-year-old boy was killed in a lioness attack near Ghantiyan village in Bagasara taluka. The victim, Nanu Ram Dinesh Mankar, belonged to a family from Dhar district in Madhya Pradesh who had been coming to Amreli for around 15 years during the farming season to work as agricultural labourers. The incident also sparked anger among local residents, who staged a protest against the forest department.
According to forest officials, the incident took place around 8 pm on Thursday when the child stepped out to relieve himself and was reportedly attacked by a sub-adult lioness, estimated to be three to four years old, which was roaming in the area. The animal dragged the boy nearly a kilometre into a nearby reserved forest.
Assistant Conservator of Forest (Social Forestry) Rajan Jadav said forest personnel immediately rushed to the spot and launched a search operation after receiving information about the attack.
The child's body was recovered at around 9 pm. By then, hundreds of villagers and residents from nearby areas had gathered at the site and begun protesting. The agitated crowd initially refused to accept the body, accusing the forest department of failing to safeguard people from recurring wildlife threats.
The forest department later captured a lioness and two cubs suspected to be linked to the fatal incident. Ghantiyan village lies along the Bagasara - Visavadar border, a region that regularly witnesses lion movement from the Gir landscape.
Comment: See also: 4-year-old killed in lion attack in Gujarat, India - 5th such attack in the state in 5 months