The fields where the boy was found after the attack in Azamgarhpurva village of Bahraich district. Express photoAround 7 pm on Friday, as Phula Devi prepared dinner at her home in Azamgarhpurva village of Bahraich district, little did she know what lay in store in the next few minutes.Her sister-in-law, Meena, who sat on a cot nearby cutting vegetables in a dim light of oil lamp amid a power outage, noticed a leopard entering the house and pouncing on Phula’s seven-year-old son Raghuveer who was playing in the courtyard.Meena raised an alarm, but by the time other family members and neighbours rushed to the scene, the animal had dragged the child away into the fields.A group chased the animal and after searching for some time found the child in a mutilated condition nearly 500 metres from the house. The boy was rushed to a nearby hospital, but doctors declared him dead on arrival.This is not the only incident involving animal attack. The area, which falls in the Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary along the India-Nepal border, has witnessed several animal attacks, including by leopards and wolves, in the recent past, including fatal ones.“As people began chasing the animal, it left the child in the field and escaped into the darkness,” said Raghuveer’s uncle Virendra Kumar.Raghuveer’s father Ram Vilas was in Mau district for some work and returned home on Saturday morning.Story continues below this adAngry over the incident, the villagers staged a protest by placing the child’s body on the road, alleging inaction despite repeated wildlife attacks in the area.On receiving information, Forest Department officials rushed to the spot and pacified the villagers, persuading them to call off the protest after assurances of action.“Now we don’t feel safe even inside our own homes. The incident has horrified everyone here. People in the village are now discussing ways to protect themselves and deal with such situations in the future,” Virendra Kumar said.Besides his mother Phula Devi, the deceased boy is survived by his father Ram Vilas Patwa, a farmer, and a 10-year-old elder sister.Story continues below this ad“My son was playing in the courtyard, as he often did in the evenings. Suddenly, I heard my sister-in-law screaming that an animal had caught my child. When I rushed to the courtyard, Raghuveer was no longer there,” said a grieving Phula Devi.Azamgarhpurva village has around 100 houses, with most residents depending on farming for their livelihood.Ram Vilas said, “My son studied in Class 4. I still cannot understand how such a tragedy happened or whom to hold responsible for my child’s death,” he added.The body was handed over to the family and they buried the body after conducting rituals.Story continues below this adA senior forest official confirmed the death occurred in a leopard attack. Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:lucknow