Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A tiger killed a woman and injured four members of her family in a hamlet village near the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve late on Sunday night.
On Sunday morning, villagers allegedly attacked a forest department team that had arrived to rescue the tiger. A woman forest official was allegedly held hostage for more than five hours. The tiger later died after being darted.
Forest officials said the tiger entered a house in Khera Tola village around 2.30 am. Phool Bai, 34, who was sleeping in the courtyard, was killed on the spot. Two others, Jan and Fulla Pal, were also injured before the tiger returned to the forest.
The tiger allegedly entered the same house again around 6.15 am when police and forest officials were assessing the situation. Two more family members, Dasiya Pal and Gazadhar, sustained injuries in the second attack.
As additional forest teams reached the village, around 200 villagers allegedly attacked forest personnel. Ranger Prateek Shrivastava sustained serious injuries, while ranger Anju Verma Pathore was allegedly assaulted and held hostage for nearly five to six hours.
Senior officials, including the Umaria Collector and the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve field director, later reached the village. The tiger, which was inside the house, was darted during the rescue operation but showed no movement afterwards.
Meanwhile, villagers allegedly vandalised at least four official vehicles with wooden sticks. Forest officials left the area to avoid further violence. The forest department said four officials were injured in the attack.
Tiger s Postmortem Conducted
The tiger s postmortem was conducted by a veterinary team from the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. Preliminary findings indicated that the tiger may have died before being darted.
The forest department has decided to conduct a second postmortem at Mukundpur Zoo in the presence of a representative from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
CM Announces Rs 25 Lakh Assistance
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced financial assistance of Rs 25 lakh for the family of the deceased woman and free treatment for the injured. He also wished the injured a speedy recovery.
