Garhwal Post Bureau
Nainital/Chamoli, 24 Apr: Incidents of human–wildlife conflicts continue to rise sharply in Uttarakhand, with fresh cases reported from Nainital and Chamoli districts. In Nainital’s Fatehpur range, a tiger killed a young man who was returning from a wedding ceremony. In an unrelated incident, a leopard attacked a villager in Chamoli’s Pokhri block, leaving him injured. The twin incidents have triggered fear and anger among local communities.
In Nainital’s Bhadooni village, 30-year-old Kamal Singh was returning home late at night when a tiger attacked him near the fields. His mutilated body was discovered by villagers the next morning, sparking panic across the area. This is the second wildlife attack in the district within two days and the third within a month and naturally raises serious questions about the forest department’s preparedness to deal with the issue of wildlife-human conflict. The local residents allege that despite prior knowledge of tiger movement, patrolling by the forest staff has not been intensified and that no concrete steps have been taken to capture the animal. The proximity of human settlements to the Corbett Tiger Reserve has further heightened the risk. SSP Nainital Manjunath TC has confirmed that the body was recovered in a mutilated state and said police and forest teams are investigating the matter.
Meanwhile, in Chamoli’s Rauta village under Pokhri block, Mohit Singh, son of Shishupal Singh, was working in the fields when a leopard suddenly attacked him. He sustained deep claw injuries on his hand and back but managed to fight off the animal and escape. He was rushed to the community health centre at Pokhri where he is undergoing treatment. District Panchayat member Birendra Rana stated that the forest department had earlier been alerted about leopard activity in the area but no effective measures were taken. The villagers have now demanded that a cage be installed to capture the leopard so that they can work safely in their fields.
The forest officials meanwhile claimed that the department is on alert and is in touch with the senior authorities. Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Badrinath division, Sarvesh Dubey, confirmed that Rs 15,000 has been provided as immediate financial assistance to the injured and assured that correspondence will be made with higher authorities to install a cage.
The recurring attacks have intensified public anger and they highlight an urgent need for stronger wildlife management strategies in Uttarakhand, where shrinking boundaries between forests and human habitation continue to fuel conflict.
