DEHRADUN: Tensions reached a breaking point in the foothills of Uttarakhand as a suspected man-eating tiger claimed its second victim within a fortnight.
The latest tragedy, involving the gruesome death of a woman in Paniyali village, sparked a massive public outcry, with agitated locals placing the victim’s mutilated body on a main highway to protest administrative negligence.
The victim, identified as Kamala Devi, had ventured into the forest at approximately 8.00 am on Wednesday. When she failed to return by evening, anxious villagers launched a search operation, only to discover her half-eaten remains deep within the woods.
This incident comes just 13 days after another local woman, Ganga Devi of Peepalpokhara village, was similarly hunted and killed by a tiger.
As news of the kill spread, the atmosphere in Paniyali turned volatile. By 7.00 pm, after waiting hours for Forest Department officials to arrive, the villagers’ patience wore thin. Led by local representatives, including District Panchayat member Chhavi Kandpal and former Village head Manish Arya, hundreds of residents carried Kamala Devi’s body to the Kathghariya main road.
The protesters placed the body inside the Forest Department’s 'Van Chowki' ( local outpost ) and blocked the arterial Kathghariya-Haldwani road, bringing traffic to a standstill. Angry locals reportedly attempted to breach the gates of the forest office, demanding immediate accountability and protection from the man-eater.
Recognising the gravity of the situation, a heavy police contingent led by SP City Manoj Kumar Katyal, along with divisional forest officers, rushed to the spot. DFO Dhruv Singh Martolia faced the brunt of the public's ire as residents highlighted the department's failure to neutralise the threat after the first killing.
Following intense negotiations with the affected villagers, the administration gave protesters written assurance, pledging to initiate the legal process to declare the tiger a “man-eater,” immediately deploy specialised cages and camera traps to track and capture the animal, provide interim financial compensation to the bereaved family, and increase patrolling in the fringe forest areas.
The twin killings have highlighted the escalating human-wildlife conflict in Uttarakhand’s Terai and hill regions. "The forest department only wakes up when someone dies," lamented Surendra Singh, a local villager. "We have been living in terror for two weeks, and now another life is lost because of their lethargy."
After the assurances were documented, the villagers ended their blockade, allowing the police to send the body for a post-mortem examination. While the immediate protest has subsided, the region remains on high alert as the predator remains at large.