Guwahati(Assam): Anowar Ali, a citizen who was praised  by the Assam police for saving several people from a leopard in Dhirenpara area of the city on Sunday, died of injuries suffered during the leopard attack at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH)  on Wednesday night. Ali, a daily wage earner, was 23.

“On Sunday Ali and three

others who were injured were sent to GMCH and they were released after treatment. But on Tuesday, local MLA Ramendra Narayan Kalita came here to meet the affected. Ali also came to meet the MLA. At that time we noticed he was suffering from an infection and his whole body had turned yellow. We immediately sent him to GMCH and the MLA also called the hospital authorities for his immediate treatment. But his infection level was so high that he breathed his last,” officer-in-charge of Fatasil Ambari police station Dilip Bharali said.

On Sunday, four persons, including a minor, were injured when a leopard attacked them in the Dhirenpara area. Hemanta Karmakar, 40, Anowar Ali, Safiqul Islam, 35, and Subhadip Roy, 13, were injured when the 10-year-old male leopard attacked them around 2.30pm.

Bharali said Ali was injured in his left hand when he was trying to save other people from the attack.

Officials of the forest department said the animal had strayed from the nearby forest area on Kalapahar hill. As the news spread, many people came to trap the leopard, which also sustained minor injuries.

This was the second incident in Dhirenpara area this year. Last October, a similar incident had taken place in the area.

Ali’s family, in their grief, have blamed  the doctors for lack of proper treatment.

“He was admitted in the ICU of the GMCH in a very critical condition. Moreover, we have offered him all medical facilities free of cost. We gave him the best of treatment and our doctors monitored him continuously. But he could not survive because his infection rate was high when he was admitted for second time,” superintendent of GMCH, Ramen Talukdar, said. He denied any kind of negligence in the treatment.

[Prepared by Deb Boruah, DBS Guwahati]