Tiger Mauls Farmer to Death in Pilibhit, Villagers Blame UP Forest Department’s Negligence – News18

A 60-year-old farmer grazing his livestock near Mahof forest of the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve in this Uttar Pradesh district was allegedly killed in a tiger attack on Saturday, officials said.

Angry over the alleged tiger attack, locals held a protest with the farmer’s body on the Madhotanda-Pilibhit highway, alleging that human lives are being lost due to the forest department’s negligence.

Superintendent of Police Atul Sharma and a senior Pilibhit Tiger Reserve official reached the spot and pacified the protestors, assuring them of providing compensation to the victim’s kin and capturing the tigers roaming outside the forest.

Madhotanda SHO Achal Kumar said Omprakash Paswan of Jamunia village was grazing his animals near the forest area when he was attacked by a tiger around 4 pm. He died on the spot.

The tiger was carrying Paswan’s body towards the forest when farmers working on nearby fields noticed it. Seeing the crowd, the tiger dropped the body and ran away, he added.

The angry villagers blocked the Madhotanda-Pilibhit highway to protest against the forest department’s negligence that, they claimed, led to Paswan’s death. They also vandalised a few vehicles.

The villagers alleged that the forest department team did not reach the spot till late evening.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)