Tigress Sundari now kills man in Angul

| | ANGUL
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Tigress Sundari now kills man in Angul

Monday, 22 October 2018 | BIJAY MISHA | ANGUL

Royal Bengal Tigress (RBT) Sundari has yet again killed a human being, a man, on Sunday, triggering huge public protests in the Satkosia area in Angul district.

The deceased was identified as Trinath Sahu of Tainsi village.

The tigress had been translocated from Madhya Pradesh’s Bandhavgarh Reserve Forest to the Satkosia Tiger Reserve in Angul district. But it had gone controversial after it allegedly killed a woman in Hatibari, a forest village of Satkosia, on September 12.

According to sources, Trinath Sahu had gone to a nearby place for fishing and was on his way back home when the tigress pounced on him and dragged him into the deep forest.

Following the incident, the already aggrieved people, who are continuously demanding the shifting of the tigress from Satkosia, thrashed and detained an Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF) who visited the spot to take stock of the situation on Sunday morning. The irate people also damaged the vehicles of the forest and police officials. In the meantime, the tigress, which was spotted near the body also attacked a mediaperson, Raghunath Sahu, and another man Bhagaban Sahu, leaving them injured. Both were hospitalised. Angul SP Mitrabhanu Mohapatra rushed to the spot and tried to pacify the people. However, people, including Tainsi village president Ramakanta Pradhan, demanded immediate shootout of the man eater tigress. Apart from demanding Rs 75 lakh compensation to the deceased family, they also demanded resignation of Forest Minister Bijayshree Routray.

Police lathicharged and used tear gas to disperse people who blocked the road with the dead body. In retaliation, the mob threw pellets to the police. Many people and police personnel were injured in the clash.

Agitated people set fire to three police vehicles, including that of  the SP.

In a letter to the Chief Wild Life Warden, Odisha, the Citizen Action Forum (CAF), spearheading a campaign for safety of the locals in Satkosia from the tigress, demanded that Sundari be declared as a man eater and necessary steps be taken to capture the tigress dead or alive as per the provision of the law and decision of the Supreme Court. Advocate and president of CAF RP Pattanaik informed that the tigress has already killed two persons along with many domestic animals within two months. It has also attacked many human beings. “It is completely a violation of human rights and criminal offence to have allowed a ferocious man-eater tigress to roam in forest where many human habitations are located,” Pattanaik told.

He alleged that after the killing of one woman by the tigress, the Wild Life Department has not taken enough steps to tranquilise the beast as promised .Instead, the officials have tried to cover up the incident and allowed the tigress to take the life of another human being, he said and demanded that criminal proceedings be taken against those responsible for it.

Meanwhile, the irate people from Tainsi with the body blocked NH-55 at Mundasahi of Jarapada police limits. As a result, vehicle movement was completely paralysed on the highway.

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