Second farmer killed in tiger attack in Sawali, Wadettiwar warns of agitation

Repeated tiger attacks in Sawali taluka of Chandrapur district have spread fear among villages bordering the forest. Days ago, a tiger attacked a farmer in the Nilsani-Pethgaon area of the Sawali forest range while he had gone to graze cattle, and he died in the attack. While this incident was still fresh, on September 21 a farmer named Hemant Ashok Bhurse also fell victim to a tiger attack in the Samda Buj area.

Following these back-to-back incidents, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislature MLA Vijay Wadettiwar expressed strong displeasure over the functioning of the forest department. He warned the forest department that if the man-eating tiger is not dealt with urgently, he would launch an intense public agitation.

Angry residents of the area are asking what exactly the forest department is doing. There is an atmosphere of fear among farmers, cattle herders, farm labourers and residents of villages bordering the forest. "How are citizens supposed to farm? Where are they supposed to graze cattle? How is a family supposed to earn its living? Will the problem be solved every time by the forest department merely saying it has increased patrolling?" Wadettiwar asked.

People in many villages of Sawali taluka have daily dealings with farming and the forest. With kharif season work underway, farmers are forced to go to their fields. But the fear of the tiger creates anxiety among families even before they set out for the fields. Since attacks are happening on people who have gone to graze cattle, the question of security in rural areas has come to the fore.

"If a farmer is afraid to even go to his own field, this is not a normal situation," Wadettiwar said. He said that after an incident, officials reach the spot, prepare a panchnama and say patrolling has been increased, but the citizens' basic question remains unanswered: when will concrete and legal measures be taken to reduce the tiger threat.

Wadettiwar clarified that he is not opposed to protecting wildlife, but said protecting the lives of ordinary citizens living on the edge of the forest is also the government's responsibility. "In the name of wildlife protection, the value of human life cannot be reduced to zero. With citizens' lives at risk, the administration must go beyond paper reports, notices and meetings and take actual action," he said in a strong tone.

"Do not test the patience of the people. Do not wait for another innocent life to be lost. The government must take responsibility for the lives of citizens of Sawali taluka. If concrete measures are not taken urgently, we will take citizens along and come out on the streets, and launch an intense public agitation," MLA Vijay Wadettiwar warned the forest department.