Tiger kills three people in a week in Sindewahi taluka; villagers demand immediate action

Fear of tigers is growing in Sindewahi taluka. On Friday, Ramaji Meshram, 75, a resident of Dhumankheda, was killed on the spot in a tiger attack at Dhumankheda, which falls under the Navargaon sub-range of the Sindewahi forest range. It is the third time in just one week that an innocent person has died in a tiger attack in the taluka, and panic has spread across the area. There is considerable anger among people over the Forest Department's attitude.

In the past few days, human-wildlife conflict in Sindewahi taluka has reached a peak. The first incident took place on the evening of October 24. Nanaji Narayan Kamdi, 55, of Palasgaon (Jat), was working in a field when a striped tiger lying in ambush attacked him fiercely and killed him.

Not even 24 hours had passed when a second incident occurred on the afternoon of October 25. Premila Pundalik Mahadore, an anganwadi worker who was harvesting sesame in the fields at Bhendala, was pounced on by a tiger and killed on the spot. Premila was 56 and lived in Bhendala.

The third incident came on Friday, when Ramaji Meshram lost his life. In a week, two men and a woman have thus fallen prey to a tiger. Fear has gripped farmers, farm labourers and villagers.

Paddy harvesting and other work are under way in the fields these days. Farmers have to go to their fields every day, but with tiger movement increasing in the area, going to the fields is no longer safe. People feel unsafe because of the repeated incidents. Angry villagers are demanding that this man-eating tiger be dealt with immediately, that a cage be set up to capture it, and that the victims' families be given financial assistance without delay.

Rahul Bodane, president of the Navargaon city Congress committee, said: "To save the lives of people in the Navargaon area, the tiger must be dealt with immediately. Cages should be placed for this, regular patrolling increased, cameras installed at necessary places, and a special team deployed at once to capture the tiger safely. The tiger should be dealt with within 48 hours and people assured of their safety. Otherwise, we will take people along and gherao the Forest Department office."