The incident took place in Sampatpurwa village under the Sujauli police station limits, where the victim, identified as Chhotelal, was returning home after checking his agricultural land. According to local accounts, the leopard emerged suddenly and pounced on the cyclist, knocking him to the ground and inflicting severe injuries before he could react.
Hearing the victim’s desperate screams, villagers rushed to the spot and managed to scare the animal away by shouting and chasing it off. The leopard fled into the surrounding area, averting what residents fear could have been a fatal attack. Despite repeated phone calls made by villagers immediately after the incident, forest department personnel reportedly did not reach the location.
Chhotelal was first given basic assistance by locals and was later taken to the Motipur Community Health Centre, where he is currently undergoing treatment for his injuries. Medical sources confirmed that his condition is serious but stable.
The attack has intensified anxiety among residents of Sujauli and nearby villages, where reports of leopard and tiger movement have become increasingly frequent. Locals say daily life has been disrupted, with farmers and laborers afraid to venture into fields, particularly during early morning and evening hours.
Villagers have expressed strong resentment over what they describe as continued apathy from the forest department, alleging a lack of patrols, delayed responses, and inadequate preventive measures despite repeated warnings and previous incidents.
The latest attack underscores the growing human-wildlife conflict in forest-adjacent areas of Bahraich, raising urgent questions about wildlife management, rapid response mechanisms, and the safety of rural communities living on the edge of protected habitats.
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