Leopard killings by humans are rare and are often triggered by man-animal conflict, usually occurring in retaliation when the animals attack livestock or humans.In one such incident, a youth fearlessly fought and killed a leopard that attacked him at Sarli village in Arki on Monday morning. The youth overpowered the one-and-a-half-year-old leopard after a fierce struggle that lasted about 12 minutes.The incident occurred around 7 a.m. when Pravesh Sharma, a student of Industrial Training Institute (ITI) Arki, was crossing his fields to fetch milk. A leopard lurking in the fields suddenly attacked him.Despite the sudden and brutal attack, Pravesh kept his presence of mind and struggled with the animal for nearly 10–12 minutes. During the struggle, he managed to grab the leopard’s jaws and eventually overpowered it, killing the animal after smashing its neck and head.The youth sustained multiple scratches during the encounter, but did not suffer any serious injuries.His uncle, Shyam Lal, said that leopard movement had been noticed in the area on March 6 as well. Residents had informed the Forest Department and requested officials to install a cage to capture the animal, but villagers were largely left to fend for themselves.Residents also reported that the leopard had tried to attack a scooty rider around 7:30 a.m. the same morning, forcing the rider to abandon his scooter and flee.Forest Divisional Officer Rajkumar Sharma visited the spot and provided an immediate relief of Rs 5,000 to the injured youth. Officials also inspected the area following the incident.Rajkumar said that the destruction of the natural habitat of wild animals is forcing them to move closer to human settlements.“Leopards usually attack humans and domesticated animals at night. However, this incident took place in the early morning, which reflects the desperation of the young animal,” he said.He added that the department regularly conducts awareness campaigns to guide villagers on how to deal with wildlife and encourage animals to move back towards forest areas. Capturing animals by installing cages, he said, is a technically complex task carried out by trained experts.As news of Pravesh’s bravery spread, residents of the area praised the young man for his courage. Teachers and students of ITI Arki also contacted him to enquire about his well-being after learning about the incident.