A team from forest department later tranquilised the leopard and took it away
A man suffered injuries on his leg after a leopard attacked him while he was trying to click a photograph of the animal.
A video of the incident, which took place near Kharjan tea estate in Assam's Dibrugarh, has now gone viral.
The male leopard had reportedly taken shelter inside a culvert on Chabua bypass. Passers-by spotted it, the news spread and more people started reaching the spot to see the leopard.
The man who was attacked works as a daily wage labourer and was returning from Dhakuakhana when he heard about the leopard sighting. On reaching the spot, he started clicking photos of the animal and ended up going too close.
"The man tried to take a close-up photo of the leopard. Suddenly, the leopard attacked and injured him. He suffered injuries on his leg," said a local resident.
The video shows people running in fear as the leopard chases them.
Eventually, a team from the Tinsukia forest department arrived, tranquilised the leopard and took it away.
Khanin Changmai, a veterinarian from Wildlife Trust of India, said, "After getting information about the leopard, a team from Tinsukia forest department reached the spot. We tranquilised the leopard and took him to Tinsukia. Following a health check-up, it will be released into the wild."
Speaking about the incident, a forest officer pointed to an "alarming" rise in instances of man-animal conflict in Assam.
"Due to the shrinking of forest cover, more and more incidents of man-animal conflict are taking place," said the officer.