Overview
- Harshith, a boy from Bengaluru, was taken by a leopard during a Sunday morning pilgrimage walk on the Nagamale–Indiganatha forest route to the Male Mahadeshwara Temple.
- Forest and police teams searched the area, recovered his body, conducted an autopsy, and issued an initial ₹5 lakh relief payment to his family.
- Following Sunday's attack, officials halted the padayatra on the Nagamale route, set four cages, deployed more than 30 staff, and used a thermal drone that detected the leopard's movement.
- The Forest Department said it is stepping up surveillance with trap cameras and combing operations as it works to trace and capture the animal.
- Residents and a local BJP MLA, citing a fatal attack in January and another attack in February, say armed escorts and stronger patrols are needed on forest stretches where devotees are sent in small groups after vehicle drop-offs.