Youth killed in tiger attack in UP’s Katarniaghat Wildlife Division

A 21-year-old man was killed in a tiger attack in the Sujauli range of the Katarniaghat Wildlife Division in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich district, forest officials said on Monday.

The incident, which took place Sunday evening, comes two days after a woman was injured in a similar attack in the Dharampur range of the same division.

Officials said prima facie it appears to be a tiger attack but visuals captured have so far been inconclusive.

According to villagers, the victim, Sanjit Kumar, of Mukhia village, was collecting grass in his turmeric field near a canal when a tiger emerged from the nearby forest and attacked him around 4 pm. Despite resisting the attack, the big cat struck him multiple times on the head, killing him on the spot.

Locals said they tried to shoo the tiger away, but it remained near the field, roaring for nearly half an hour before retreating into the forest.

Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Suraj told PTI that preliminary investigations revealed that Sanjit had gone towards the Syphon area inside the forest to collect grass used for building huts.

“It appears that the tiger attacked and killed him there. Later, villagers brought the body back to the village and placed it in a turmeric field. We were informed around 4.30 pm,” he said.

The DFO said tiger movement has been active in the area.

He cautioned that the Katarniaghat reserve is a protected forest area where activities like grass cutting are prohibited.

“This region is home to tigers, elephants, and rhinos, and people should avoid venturing into the forest to prevent human-wildlife conflicts,” he said.

The official added that the body had been sent for post-mortem, and the victim’s family would be provided compensation from the disaster relief fund. Forest personnel are also raising awareness among locals to avoid entering tiger-active zones.

On Friday, a 40-year-old woman was seriously injured in a tiger attack in the Tirmuhani village under the Dharampur range of the same wildlife sanctuary.

Spread over about 551 square kilometres, the Katarniaghat Wildlife Division is part of the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve and is known for its rich biodiversity, including tigers, leopards, gharials, and Gangetic dolphins.

Forest officials claim the population of big cats has been steadily increasing due to improved natural habitat conditions.