Dibrugarh: A leopard attacked a group of workers, injuring three women, at Santipur Tea Estate in the Borhat area of Charaideo district on Tuesday.The injured workers have been identified as Minoti Barhoi (33), Jonaki Baske (28) and Bornali Murmu (31), all residents of the tea estate. They were engaged in plucking tea leaves along with fellow workers when the leopard emerged from the tea bushes and lunged at them.Witnesses said the workers initially noticed some movement among the tea bushes but did not immediately identify the source as a threat. “When we saw movement of an animal among the bushes, we thought it was a pig, but then it suddenly emerged and leaped at them,” one of the workers said.The attack caused panic among the workers. The three women shouted for help, and their screams, along with the commotion caused by fellow workers, apparently startled the leopard, which then retreated into the bushes.The Santipur Tea Estate management called an ambulance to transport the injured women to the Sonari Civil Hospital. All three suffered multiple lacerations and puncture wounds on their limbs and backs, hospital sources said. They are now stable and out of danger.Forest department officials responded promptly, visiting the site and launching an assessment of the area. Officials are expected to conduct a combing operation in and around the estate.
