A female panther was beaten to death by villagers and partially burnt in Sitapura village on Tuesday evening after an irate crowd attacked the animal while forest officials and police were attempting a rescue operation, officials said.Female panther entered in a house in Bharatpur.The incident took place under the jurisdiction of Weir Police Station in Bharatpur after the panther reportedly entered a house, prompting villagers to alert the forest department.Following the information, rescue teams from the forest department and police reached the spot to safely capture and remove the animal.Chetan Kumar, deputy conservator of forest, Keoladeo National Park, said the rescue team was trying to secure the panther inside the house while police personnel repeatedly urged villagers to maintain distance from the area.Despite repeated appeals, hundreds of villagers gathered at the spot. As the panther attempted to come out of the house, the crowd allegedly attacked it.“It was a female panther. The body has been taken to Bharatpur for post-mortem,” Kumar said.Officials said villagers also attempted to cremate the animal. The forest department later recovered the partially burnt carcass from the site.He said complaints would be lodged against those involved in killing the panther and burning the carcass under provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act. Separate police cases would also be registered against the accused.Kumar said police and forest officials failed to control the crowd and save the animal despite repeated attempts to persuade villagers to stay away from the rescue operation.