Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A tiger mauled a 50-year-old woman to death when she was plucking the tendu leaves in Bichhua village in Kurai area, within Rukhad buffer zone of South General Forest Division in Seoni district on Saturday.
According to police, the animal lunged at her, sinking its claws and teeth into her neck and other parts of her body. She died instantly. The tiger then dragged her remains to a few metres into a dense area of the forest. Witnesses nearby responded quickly as more than 50 villagers swarmed the scene on hearing the commotion. The loud cries startled the tiger, forcing it to abandon the body and flee.
Seoni district forest officer Gaurav Mishra said a group of women from Bichua village were plucking tendu leaves in Khawasa forest range.
While plucking, Hemlata (50) got separated from other women and it was at this time that tiger attacked her.
After the incident, villagers created ruckus and staged protest against the incident. Though compensation of Rs 8 lakh was sanctioned to victim’s family, the latter demanded compensation of Rs 25 lakh, the sum given in Maharashtra. It took hours to pacify villagers.
Reason for aggression
Pench Tiger Reserve deputy director Rajnesh Singh said efforts were underway to find out the tiger, which had killed the woman. The tiger, estimated to be four to five years old, struck suddenly and fatally wounded the woman.
"We are working to rescue the animal. But first we need to determine the reason behind its aggression. Typically, older or injured tigers seek out easy prey and sometimes attack humans out of desperation. However, in this case, the tiger was not old," he added.
