NEW DELHI, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Residents of a remote village in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand have reportedly burnt down a local forest over the death of a seven-year-old child in leopard attack.

The horrific incident took place late Monday evening in Harinagari village in the state's Bageshwar district, the Hindustan Times newspaper reported Tuesday.

The newspaper quoted forest officials as saying that the child was dragged away by the leopard when he was outside his house to answer the call of nature after sunset. His half-eaten body was found in the forest area on Tuesday morning.

"Angry villagers set the forest on fire and we couldn't go into the affected area. A crowd gathered in the village and demanded immediate compensation for the family of the victim and shooting of the leopard," local forest chief R.K. Singh was quoted as saying.

In March, the same leopard is suspected to have killed a four-year-old child in the area.

Leopards and other big cats have been known to stray into populated areas in India, and conservationists have warned that such confrontations may increase as humans encroach on animal habitats.