Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 2 Apr: A ferocious bear attack has left three people, including a village pradhan, seriously injured in Thapli Tok near Suliyadhar on the Chamba–Dharasu motor road in Tehri Garhwal district. The incident has sparked widespread anger against the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO). This morning the bear suddenly attacked village head Yudhveer Singh Rawat, forester Ajaypal Panwar and local resident Vinod Singh Rawat, who had gone to monitor its movements. The three however displayed remarkable courage, struggling with the animal for a considerable time before managing to drive it away, but in the process, they sustained deep injuries from the claws of the bear.
Following the incident, villagers rushed to the spot and carried the injured men to the road using makeshift means. All the three persons bore severe wounds inflicted by the bear’s claws. The locals claim that the same bear had attacked a woman in the area a few days earlier, leaving her critically injured. She is currently undergoing treatment at AIIMS Rishikesh.
The local residents have also accused the Forest Department of negligence, claiming that despite prior warnings about the dangerous bear’s presence in the aera, the department sent its team without adequate protection or weapons. Local public representatives, including BJP Mandal President and former village Pradhan Rishi Ram Bhatt, have directly held the DFO responsible for the incident. District Panchayat member Shishpal Singh Rana, Bhagwan Singh Rana, Rajendra Singh Negi and several others have expressed strong resentment against the department, questioning how long people will continue to risk their lives in such circumstances. The incident has triggered widespread outrage in the region, with villagers demanding immediate and effective measures to ensure safety from recurring wildlife threats.
