A senior veterinary officer was allegedly assaulted during a leopard rescue in Tumakuru, Karnataka (Image generated using AI).

A group of residents allegedly assaulted a senior government veterinary officer and obstructed an official vehicle during a leopard rescue operation at a village in Karnataka’s Tumakuru Thursday.

The Hebbur police registered a case on October 22 against 10 to 15 unidentified people following a complaint by Dr Prayag H S, 48, a veterinary officer deputed to the area by the Forest Department.

According to the complaint, Range Forest Officer Basavaraju informed Prayag around 7.41 am on Thursday that a leopard had been spotted on a coconut tree in a garden belonging to a farmer, Ashwath, in Thimmasandra village.

Prayag informed the Deputy Conservator of Forests and rushed to the spot with his assistant and driver. Assistant Conservator of Forests Pavithra V, forest personnel, Koratagere Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Sridhar R Reddy and a team from an NGO were also present.…