Karnataka orders closure of all trekking paths in human-wildlife conflict zones
Bengaluru: Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar B. Khandre has directed officials to temporarily suspend all trekking routes and movement paths passing through areas frequented by wildlife following the death of a 10-year-old boy in a leopard attack in the Nagamale forest of Chamarajanagar district.
Taking into account the safety of the public and trekkers, the minister has ordered that all trekking and transit routes in areas inhabited by leopards, tigers, elephants, bears and other wild animals, as well as locations where incidents of human-wildlife conflict have been reported, should remain closed until further orders. An official circular has been issued in this regard.
Khandre has also instructed that trekking activities should be conducted only in a safe and responsible manner and that the recently issued Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) must be followed strictly.
He said trekking activities should be suspended in any location that is not adequately prepared to comply with the SOPs.
The minister has directed that trekking activities undertaken under the supervision of the Karnataka Forest Department and the Karnataka Eco Tourism Development Board may resume only after all necessary preparations are made to ensure compliance with the SOPs.
In connection with this, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden have issued two separate circulars.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
