Lions in Junagadh meet suspicious death, farmers held for electrocution

Junagadh: The mysterious death of an adult lion in the Jamwala forest range in Junagadh, Gujarat, has been attributed to electrocution caused by a live wire tied by two local farmers. The Forest Department announced this breakthrough on Tuesday, revealing that the accused individuals have been apprehended, while further investigations into the matter are underway.

On Friday, August 18, the lifeless body of the lion was discovered in a mutilated state inside a drain between Anandpur and Pedhwala villages in the Jamwala range. Local residents who stumbled upon the carcass immediately alerted the Forest Department, prompting officials to rush to the scene and retrieve the body for further examination. The postmortem report confirmed that the lion had died due to electrocution.

The investigation revealed that two farmers, identified as Jeetu Parmar and Varsingh Parmar from Anandpur village, had intentionally placed a live wire around their crops to protect them from wild animals. Unfortunately, on that fateful day, the lion inadvertently came into contact with the wire, resulting in its electrocution as it passed through the area.

In an attempt to evade arrest, the accused duo attempted to make the incident appear as an accident. They disposed of the lion’s carcass in the drain. However, due to the seriousness of the matter, the authorities managed to uncover their actions and took them into custody for further investigation.

It is worth mentioning that the Forest Department in Junagadh has recently issued a circular inviting residents from 17 nearby villages to participate in running open Gypsy car services for jungle safaris.