Leopard enters wedding pandal, causes panic


Moradabad: A wedding function had an uninvited guest in RajpuraPanuwala village located on the Uttarakhand border as a leopard came prancing into the pandal perhaps to sample some of the delicious fare on offer.

The groom and his relatives hit the panic button and started running away from the pandal, causing a stampede-like situation, even as women and children among the guests started crying and shouting for help.

The groom and his family jumped into a bus parked nearby and locked themselves in, fearing for their life. Meanwhile, the bride's relatives regained their wit and used rods and sticks to scare the wildcat back into the jungle of Kalywala situated near Corbett National Park. No injury was reported.

The incident was reported on Tuesday afternoon at the village located in Thakurdwara tehsil.

Forest officials said most of the Thakurdwara tehsil villages are situated on the Uttarakhand border and covered with dense forests. Wild animals are occasionally spotted in these villages, mostly in the winter season.

They, however, denied that the leopard had entered the wedding venue. Wildlife protection officer Anuj Kumar said, "The leopard was spotted near the venue and after seeing the mob with rods and sticks, it again entered the jungle. Wild animals often visit here to drink water from the river."

Some witnesses and relatives of the groom, who came from Bijnore, claimed that the leopard had come into the pandal, causing a stampede-like situation. Officials said nobody was injured during the incident.

Sunil Singh, a villager, said, "When the leopard jumped into the pandal, everybody was stunned. There were children and women who started crying after seeing the animal and the groom's family ran away from the spot. They locked themselves inside the bus, after which we chased the leopard and forced it to enter the jungle."

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