A woman was killed and four others injured in a tiger attack near the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, sparking protests over human-animal conflict and forest management.
Key Points
- A tiger strayed into a residential area near Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, resulting in a fatal attack on a woman and injuries to four others.
- The incident occurred in Kherwa Tola locality, Panpatha village, sparking outrage among local residents.
- Villagers protested against repeated tiger attacks, alleging delayed response from forest officials and assaulting a forest ranger.
- Efforts are underway to rescue the tiger and bring the situation under control, with police security deployed in the village.
- The incident highlights the ongoing challenges of human-animal conflict in areas surrounding tiger reserves.
A tiger strayed into a residential area near the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh's Umaria district early on Sunday, mauling a woman to death and injuring four others, officials said.
The incident occurred around 3 am at Kherwa Tola locality in Panpatha village near the tiger reserve, following which angry locals allegedly assaulted a forest ranger and manhandled a woman staffer while protesting against repeated tiger attacks in the area.
Villagers Protest Over Tiger Attacks
Villagers accused forest officials of failing to respond promptly despite repeated calls for help and claimed the tiger was still roaming nearby.
The protest by angry villagers delayed efforts to launch a rescue operation for the big cat.
"The tiger killed a woman and injured three to four persons," Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve deputy director Anupam Sahay told PTI after reaching the spot.
Locals identified the deceased as Phool Bai Pal (40).
The protesters allegedly did not allow officials and police personnel to take the body for post-mortem examination.
"We are in talks with the district administration to shift the body out of the village and launch efforts to rescue the tiger," Sahay said.
Forest Officials Attacked
Following the incident, angry villagers allegedly assaulted Panpatha ranger Prateek Shrivastava, causing injuries to him. A woman forest staffer was also allegedly manhandled and briefly prevented from leaving the area by protesters angry over repeated tiger attacks, sources said.
Congress leader and janpad panchayat member Roshni Singh Dhurve reached the village and tried to pacify the protesters. She later helped secure the release of the forest officials, the sources added.
Forest teams shifted the injured persons to hospital for treatment.
Efforts To Restore Order
A "law-and-order situation" had arisen in the area and efforts were underway to bring it under control, Panpatha forest sub-divisional officer Bhura Gaikwad said.
Police security has been deployed in the village, officials said.
In another recent incident of human-animal conflict, four women collecting tendu leaves were killed in a tiger attack in Maharashtra's Chandrapur district on Friday morning.
