Bhopal, February 8: A 39-year-old man has died following a suspected tiger attack in the Bankhedi forest area of Pipariya tehsil, located in Madhya Pradesh’s Narmadapuram district.
According to forest officials, it remains unclear whether a tiger or another wild animal was involved until the post-mortem report is released. The deceased has been identified as Kamal Thakur, a resident of Bari Devi village. His body was discovered approximately 100 meters from the old Dokrikheda village dam, hidden among the bushes.
A forest department official informed a news agency that Kamal Thakur’s remains were found early Saturday morning, about 100 meters from his home. The condition of the body was severely mutilated, raising suspicions of a violent encounter. A local milkman was the first to spot the remains and alerted the family, who then promptly informed the forest department.
Senior forest officials indicated that the attack likely occurred early Saturday morning. However, they also noted that it could have been a leopard attack, and only the post-mortem report will clarify which wild animal was responsible. Teams from the forest department have observed tracks of both tigers and leopards in the surrounding area.
Kamal Thakur was employed as a cook at the army mess in Pachmarhi and frequently visited his ancestral village on weekends. Local villagers have previously reported sightings of tigers and their activities around Bari Devi and Jhiriya villages to the forest department. This incident highlights the increasing human-wildlife conflict in this border forest area.
Meanwhile, Pipariya’s tehsildar, Vaibhav Bairagi, stated that the process to provide the deceased’s family with a compensation amount of 800,000 rupees has begun. Additionally, the family has been granted an interim relief of 25,000 rupees for funeral and other necessary expenses. Forest department and administrative teams are conducting a thorough investigation at the site, gathering evidence from the animal tracks. A post-mortem is being conducted to determine the exact cause of death.