Woman Killed, Four Injured in Tiger Attack Near Bandhavgarh Reserve

A tiger strayed into a residential locality near the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh’s Umaria district early Sunday, killing a woman and injuring four others , triggering protests by villagers over recurring wildlife attacks and an alleged delayed rescue response.

The incident occurred around 3 am in Kherwa Tola of Panpatha village when the big cat allegedly entered human habitation in search of easy prey and water sources . Forest officials identified the deceased as 40-year-old Phool Bai Pal. The injured were shifted to hospital for treatment.

Angry residents accused forest authorities of failing to act despite repeated distress calls and claimed the tiger continued to roam near the settlement hours after the attack. Protesters allegedly assaulted a forest ranger and manhandled a woman staffer, briefly disrupting rescue operations and post-mortem procedures.

Officials said rapid response teams, tranquiliser experts, and elephant squads were being mobilised under standard tiger rescue protocols to track and capture the animal. Police personnel were deployed to control the law-and-order situation.

Human-wildlife conflict has increased in buffer villages around Bandhavgarh in recent years due to habitat pressure, shrinking forest corridors, and growing dependence of local communities on forest produce such as tendu leaves, firewood, and grazing land. Wildlife experts say dispersing sub-adult tigers often move into villages while searching for territory, prey, or water, especially during summer months.

Under Madhya Pradesh’s wildlife compensation policy , families of victims killed in animal attacks are eligible for ex gratia financial assistance, while the injured receive medical compensation.

The latest incident comes days after four women collecting tendu leaves were killed in tiger attacks in Chandrapur district, underlining growing conservation and coexistence challenges across central India.