MUMBAI: In a tragic incident, four women were killed in a tiger attack in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur district on Friday after a group of 13 women entered a forest area to collect tendu leaves. According to reports, the tiger, believed to have been hiding in the area, attacked the women while they were gathering tendu leaves, which are primarily used in the manufacture of bidis.
The deceased women were identified as Kawadabai Mohurle (45), Anitabai Mohurle (40), Sunita Mohurle (38) and Sangita Chaudhary (50), all residents of Gunjewahi village in Sindewahi tehsil, nearly 70 km from the district headquarters. The women had gone to a forested patch to collect tendu leaves, which are predominantly used for making bidis.
Officials who reached the spot said the four women died instantly, while the remaining members of the group fled in panic, screaming for help as the tiger disappeared into the forest. Authorities have urged villagers to avoid venturing deep into forested areas until the animal is traced and the situation is brought under control.
Chandrapur district, home to the famed Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, has one of the country’s highest tiger populations outside protected reserves. According to official estimates, nearly 200 people have died in wild animal attacks in Chandrapur over the past five years. In the last five months alone, 19 people have lost their lives.
Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar blamed the government for the recurring fatalities linked to human-animal conflict. “For the rural poor, entering the forest is not a choice but a means of survival to feed their families. Despite the predictable and long-standing nature of tiger-human conflict, lives continue to be lost due to the government and forest department’s failure to implement adequate protective measures,” he said.
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