Tiger kills farmer near Katarniaghat forest reserve, remains untraceable | Lucknow News

Lucknow: A 26-year-old farmer was killed by a tiger near Katarniaghat Wildlife Division in Bahraich on Monday. The attack has triggered fear among villagers as human–wildlife conflicts continue to rise in the region.According to locals, the victim, Indal, a resident of Harkhapur village under Murtiha police station limits, stepped out of his home around 8 pm to relieve himself in the fields, just 200 metres away from his house. A tiger lurking in the bushes pounced on him, dragged him into the forest, and fatally mauled him.Family members and villagers, alarmed by his cries, rushed to the spot with sticks and torches, but by then, the predator had already pulled him deeper into the forest. After nearly an hour of frantic search, Indal’s mutilated body was recovered from a bushy patch barely a few hundred metres away.The body bore gruesome injuries — deep claw marks across the chest, a fractured neck, and severe wounds on the shoulders. Villagers alleged that despite repeated calls, forest officials failed to arrive at night. It was only at 3 am that ranger Deepak Mishra and his team reached the site.The forest department announced an ex-gratia relief of Rs 10,000 for the victim’s family and launched a tiger-tracking operation. Trap cameras have been installed in the surrounding areas, and tranquilisation teams have been deployed to capture the big cat.Indal, the eldest of four brothers, married just five years ago. He worked as a daily wage labourer to support his family. His sudden death has devastated his young wife and two daughters—four-year-old Kriti and two-year-old Devanshi—who were seen inconsolable after the incident.Katarniaghat DFO Suraj (who goes by his first name) said that the pugmarks found near the body of the deceased and the pattern of the injury on the body of Indal clearly depict it to be from an attack by the tiger.The Katarniaghat forest range, located 80 km from Bahraich, district headquarters, has reported a spurt in wild animal attacks in recent months. Just last week, two villagers lost their lives in wolf attacks. According to official estimates, the area currently harbours around 40 tigers and over 100 wolves, making it one of the most conflict-prone wildlife zones in Uttar Pradesh.