By IANS,
Bhopal : A teenager has been killed by a tigress outside the Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh while he was collecting tendu leaves, officials said Monday.
“Rajesh Singh Baksaria, a 17-year-old tribal resident of Damna village near Manpur range of the Bandhavgarh National Park, was attacked and killed by the tigress Sunday afternoon when he reached the boundary of the park to collect tendu leaves,” the park’s deputy director Ravikant Mishra told IANS over phone.
Rajesh died of severe injuries on his neck.
“Villagers informed us of the incident. They said the tigress was residing in a nearby patch of forest with her two cubs,” Mishra said.
The forest department has announced a compensation of Rs.100,000 for the family of Baksaria.
Villagers collect tendu leaves that are used to roll beedis (leaf-wrapped cigarettes) and then sell the leaves in local markets. For many of the locals, it is their principal source of cash income.