NAGPUR: Chaos briefly erupted in the Maharashtra assembly on Wednesday when MLA Sharad Sonawane walked in dressed head-to-toe as a leopard, complete with a mask, startling lawmakers on the third day of the winter session in Nagpur. Several members shouted, “Remove the leopard!” as the stunned House tried to make sense of the spectacle.
Sonawane said the dramatic gesture was meant to spotlight the surge in human–leopard conflict across the state — a crisis he described as a “statewide emergency.” He claimed that more than 55 people have been killed by leopards in his region in the last three months alone. His entry into the well of the House prompted Speaker Rahul Patil to issue a stern warning and order him to change into regular attire, reminding him to maintain the dignity of the assembly.
Earlier, the Sena MLA demanded that leopards be moved to Schedule II of the Wildlife Protection Act to allow immediate capture in situations posing imminent danger. He criticised the forest department’s experimental initiatives since 2014, calling them ineffective. “Officials sit in air-conditioned cabins. It’s not their fear — it’s ours,” he said.
The stunt came just hours after a leopard strayed into Nagpur’s densely populated Pardi locality on Wednesday morning, injuring seven people — the second such incident in the area within a month. All seven victims are receiving treatment at two hospitals and are reported to be out of danger.
