Overview

• A leopard entered a wedding venue in Lucknow late Wednesday night, causing chaos as guests fled and the bride and groom took shelter in a car.
• The animal was tranquilized and captured after a nearly five-hour operation involving forest department officials and police, during which a forest officer was injured.
• Videos of the incident, including one showing the leopard snatching a police officer's rifle, have gone viral on social media.
• Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav criticized the BJP-led state government, linking the incident to urban encroachment on wildlife habitats and alleging governance failures.
• State BJP representatives dismissed Yadav's comments as irrelevant, emphasizing that such wildlife intrusions are not uncommon in urban areas.