Kolkata, February 9: A fisherman was tragically killed by a Royal Bengal Tiger in the Sundarbans region, with his body discovered on Sunday. The incident occurred when the tiger attacked the fisherman and dragged him into the mangrove forest. His body was found two days later.
According to police reports, a young man lost his life in the tiger attack, which took place in front of his wife. The victim had gone crabbing near Kalas Island in the Patharpratima block of South 24 Parganas district on Friday.
Local sources identified the deceased as 36-year-old Jiban Bhakt, a resident of Satyadaspur in the G-Plot area. He had married about four years ago and had since moved to his in-laws’ home in the Indraprastha tribal colony of Ramganga Gram Panchayat. Jiban leaves behind his wife, Durga Bhakt, and two young children.
Due to poverty, the couple often risked their lives to catch crabs and fish in the Sundarbans forests.
Reports indicate that on Thursday, Jiban and Durga went crabbing with around ten other fishermen along the western coast of Kalas Island. On Friday evening, while they were working together, a tiger suddenly attacked Jiban from the forest. The tiger seized him and dragged him away in front of his wife, Durga.
Hearing Durga’s screams, other fishermen rushed to the scene, but no one dared to approach due to the dense jungle and the presence of the tiger.
On Sunday afternoon, some locals searching the forest found Jiban’s bloodied body. It was later transported by boat to Patharpratima. The Patharpratima police took possession of the body and sent it for post-mortem at Kakdwip sub-district hospital.
The incident has sparked widespread mourning in the area. Local residents are urging the government to provide immediate financial assistance and long-term support for the victim’s wife and two small children.
Jiban’s mother-in-law, Sari Bhakt, expressed her grief, stating, “My daughter and son-in-law went crabbing. During that time, the tiger attacked my son-in-law and dragged him into the jungle. Later, villagers found his mutilated body. It would be great if the government could help my daughter, as she has two small children.”
Parth Mukhopadhyay, the Additional Divisional Forest Officer (ADFO) of South 24 Parganas, confirmed the incident, stating, “A fisherman from Patharpratima went into the forest to catch crabs when the tiger attack occurred. Villagers have recovered the body from the jungle. The deceased is named Jiban Bhakt. The body has been sent for post-mortem, and an investigation is underway. Officials from the Raidhighi range office are looking into the matter and are speaking with the family and witnesses.”