Uttar Pradesh: Tiger Mauls 18-Year-Old Student in Pilibhit, Villagers Protest Negligence

An 18-year-old student preparing for his class 10 board exams was tragically killed by a tiger on Monday evening in Pilibhit district, Uttar Pradesh. Pankaj, known only by his first name, was in the midst of his preparations for the state board examinations, which were slated to commence on February 22nd. Naveen Khandelwal, the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR), stated, The assault occurred approximately 3 kilometers away from the junction of the Mala and Mahof forest range.

Khandelwal mentioned that the family of the deceased would receive compensation totaling Rs 5 lakh, comprising Rs 4 lakh from the State Disaster Response Fund and Rs 1 lakh from the Forest Department.

Enraged villagers staged protests, alleging the negligence of forest officials. They asserted that the officials had failed to take necessary precautions to safeguard the villagers from the tiger, which had been spotted in the vicinity for several days. The Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Pilibhit Sadar Circle, Devendra Kumar, and Sub-Inspector Pradeep Vishnoi swiftly arrived at the scene with a substantial police contingent. However, the villagers refused to surrender the body for autopsy until 6.30 pm. In a demonstration of their dissatisfaction, locals positioned the body on the Bankati-Pandari road.

Meanwhile, the family of the victim attributed the tragedy primarily to the delayed approval of a government-sponsored toilet under the Swachh Bharat Mission.