NILGIRIS: A 51-year-old man was killed in a suspected tiger attack at O Valley Forest in the Gudalur Division of the Nilgiris on Friday.
The deceased has been identified as K Ravikumar of Lauriston in the O Valley Forest Range. He was employed as a labourer in a coffee estate at 4-Division, Lauriston.
On Friday morning, while working in the plantation near his residence, a tiger suddenly emerged from the coffee bushes and attacked him.
His body was discovered around 2 pm approximately 200 metres from his home by local residents. The tiger had mauled and partially consumed his hand, right shoulder and chest, sources said.
The incident sparked anger among residents of O Valley, who staged a road blockade at Lauriston, demanding that the forest department capture the tiger.
The protest continued through the evening. District Forest Officer P Devaraj and other forest officials held discussions with the demonstrators, but the blockade was not lifted until late Friday night.
R Ranjith, coordinator of O Valley Makkal Iyakkam, said this was the second consecutive death caused by a tiger attack in the area.
On August 9, another man was killed and his body partially eaten by a tiger. Following the fatalities, the principal chief conservator of forests has been approached for permission to instal cages and capture the tiger suspected to be responsible for the attacks.
