Minister Arjun Modhwadia: Gujarat man provoked lion before attack

2 min readAhmedabadUpdated: Jul 10, 2026 04:49 AM IST

A lion attack that killed a man occurred after he and his friends provoked the lion when it was mating, according to authorities.

The incident occurred in a reserve forest area outside Gir Sanctuary in Amreli’s Liliya taluka on Wednesday. The victim was identified as Sohil Munjawar, 21, from Amreli town.

In a video message, Forest and Environment Minister Arjun Modhwadia said, “There is a reserve forest area outside Gir Sanctuary and near Antaliya village of Liliya taluka in Amreli. Three youngsters had gone there to see lions illegally. Due to provocation, one of them died following an attack by a lion. The incident happened around 7 pm (Wednesday).”

“As per the preliminary report, these youths went there with an intention to see lions, and encountered a lion family. It is the mating period. Lion cubs were also there. Due to provocation, the lion attacked the youngsters. The forest department has taken steps and rescued the lion. The deceased’s body has been sent to a hospital,” Modhwadia said.

In his statement, Modhwadia appealed to people not to disturb lions in the wild and to keep a safe distance from them.

Also, the forest department has detained the two men who were allegedly accompanying Munjawar as it investigates the circumstances under which the incident happened.

According to Deputy Conservator of Forests (Shetrunji Wildlife Division) Chirag Amin, the department is likely to register a “forest offence report” in the incident.