A strange scene unfolded at the Maharashtra Assembly's winter session on Wednesday. A 'leopard' suddenly appeared in the assembly premises! However, it wasn't real. Shiv Sena MLA Sharad Sonawane from Junnar arrived at the session wearing a leopard costume and mask. This novel initiative by the legislator was aimed at protecting people from leopard attacks in his constituency and drawing the government's attention to this serious problem.
Sharad Sonawane alleged that 55 people have lost their lives in leopard attacks in Junnar over the past three months. He has been vocal about this issue since 2014, but the government remains indifferent. Therefore, he demanded the immediate declaration of an emergency in the state regarding 'leopard menace'. Coincidentally, on the same day, a leopard had entered a residential area in Nagpur and seriously injured seven people in its attack. It was later captured using tranquilizer darts.
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PTI has posted a video on their X (formerly known as Twitter) of the Maharashtra Assembly Winter Session where MLA Sharad Sonawane is wearing a leopard costume while addressing a press conference to protest against the rising incidents of leopard attacks in the state.
To manage the situation, Forest Minister Ganesh Naik announced that the government has already begun experimental sterilization and installation of AI-powered sirens. Special measures are also being taken to maintain the forest ecosystem. However, since leopards are 'Schedule-1' animals, there are legal complications, and to overcome this, a proposal has been sent to the center to bring them under 'Schedule-2'. Whether this 'leopard costume' by the MLA can finally wake up the administration remains to be seen.
