Rajasthan: Tiger kills seven-year-old boy in Ranthambore

Jaipur, April 16 (IANS) In a tragic incident near the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve, a seven-year-old boy was killed in a tiger attack while returning from a visit to the Trinetra Ganesh temple with his grandmother on Wednesday.

The child, identified as Kartik Suman, son of Dwarka Mali, resident of Gohta village under Dei Kheda police station (Bundi), was attacked in the Amarai forest area.

Eyewitnesses said that the tiger suddenly emerged from the forest and snatched Kartik by the head, dragging him away in front of several people. The animal reportedly sat in the forest for a long time, keeping its paw on the child’s neck.

The shocking incident caused panic in the area. Local people rushed to inform the authorities at Ganesh Dham Chowki. Upon receiving the alert, Forest Department officials reached the spot and immediately closed all routes leading to the Trinetra Ganesh temple.

After considerable effort, Forest Department officials managed to drive the tiger away and recovered Kartik’s body. The body was taken to the district hospital mortuary for postmortem.

Kartik’s uncle, Deepak, who was part of the group visiting the temple, recounted the horrifying moment.

“We were five people - Kartik, his grandmother, and others from our village. While coming down after the temple visit, a tiger suddenly appeared, snatched Kartik from the group, and disappeared into the forest. We shouted for help, but we couldn’t save him,” said Deepak.

Another local eyewitness said: “I was returning after visiting the temple around 3 PM when I saw a woman walking ahead with her grandson. Suddenly, a tiger came out of the forest and grabbed the child. Panic spread among the devotees after the attack.”

Forest officials suspect that the attack may have been carried out by Tiger T-120, which had been spotted in the Amarai area over the past two days.

The presence and movement of this tiger had been previously reported, raising concerns about the safety of visitors in the region.

The Forest Department is expected to conduct further investigations and take appropriate safety measures to prevent such tragic incidents in the future.

Two months back, a tiger killed a young man in Shyampura village located near Ranthambore Tiger Reserve in Sawai Madhopur.

When the villagers reached the spot after learning about the incident, they found the body of the young man in a mutilated condition.

--IANS

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