A tribal man was killed in a suspected tiger attack near Nagarhole National Park in Karnataka on Monday.
The victim has been identified as Chinnappa (39), who belonged to the Beda tribes. The incident took place at 7.30 am when Chinnappa had gone out from his house for his morning rituals and the tiger pounced on him.
According to some witnesses, the victim was dragged nearly 300 metres by the tiger into the forest and some parts of his body were eaten by the animal. His body was found near some bushes in the village.
Following the attack, Chinnappa had screamed for help which alerted some people who rushed to the spot. Hearing the commotion, the tiger abandoned the body.
This is the second incident at HD Kote. Recently on December 2018, a 28-year-old youth named Madhu, who had gone to collect firewood, was mauled to death by a tiger.
The villagers are living under constant threat of tiger attacks and they suspect the same tiger to have attacked both Madhu and Chinnappa. They also allege that even after the attacks, the Forest Department has not taken any measures to ensure the safety of the villagers.
The family members and villagers later cornered the Forest Department officers seeking protective measures against such attacks and compensation to the victim's family.
The Director of Nagarhole National Park, Narayanaswamy, said that Chinnappa's family will be given Rs 5 lakh as compensation and his wife will be provided with a job as a daily wager in any of the government schemes.
