Bihar tiger attack: Farmer killed near Valmiki reserve, mob assaults forest staff
Recurring man-animal conflict in Bihar's Valmikinagar leads to latest fatality and community unrest.
A 45-year-old farmer, Vijay Haldar, was killed by a tiger near Valmikinagar in Bihar's West Champaran district on Saturday, according to officials. This incident has escalated into violent protests, with an angry mob attacking forest personnel and a policeman, damaging a forest department vehicle in the process. This marks the third human casualty in man-animal conflict cases in the district recently.
The victim was said to have ventured into an agricultural field adjacent to the Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) when the tiger pounced on him, resulting in his death.
Following the incident, forest personnel arrived at the scene and recovered the body. However, upon learning about the farmer's death, villagers gathered at Bherihari Chowk, turning it into a scene of chaos. They blocked the Valmikinagar-Madanpur state highway and placed the body on the road. As news spread, tension mounted further when forest personnel and a police team arrived at the spot.
The situation turned violent as the agitated villagers confronted the forest personnel and chased them, leading to injuries to Forester Ashish Kumar, vanrakshi Kundan Kumar, and a policeman. The crowd also targeted a forest department vehicle, overturning it and causing extensive damage. Normalcy was restored only after Bagaha sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Chandani Kumari and SDPO Bhushan Nihar intervened with reinforcements and quelled the situation.
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