Tiger kills man, eats limbs in Satpura Tiger Reserve:Separates head from torso; body parts recovered in pieces by family

A tiger attacked and killed a villager in the Satpura Tiger Reserve (STR) in Narmadapuram, Madhya Pradesh. After killing him, the tiger ate his hands and legs and remained sitting near the body. The incident occurred in the Kesla police station area. According to information, the deceased has been identified as Sudharam Chauhan (49), son of Hajari Chauhan, a resident of Chanagarh Jhunkar. His head and torso were found separately, with blood scattered in the surrounding area. Didn’t return home all night, family members went searching in the morning The victim’s brother, Raghuvar Chauhan, said Sudharam had crossed the Tawa river on Wednesday afternoon to collect mahua in the core area of the reserve. When he did not return home by evening, the family set out to search for him in the forest on Thursday morning. During the search in the STR forest, villagers reached near a mahua tree and saw a tiger sitting there. Beside it lay the severed head and torso. Pieces of hands and legs were also seen nearby, along with his trousers. Family members scared seeing tiger near the body The family members and villagers were terrified on seeing the tiger sitting near the body. After some time, they gathered courage and drove the tiger away, following which they approached the remains. The incident was immediately reported to the STR office and the police station. On receiving information, a Kesla police team reached the spot and took possession of the remains. The deceased was identified through an Aadhaar card. After completing formalities, the body was taken to Sukhtawa. TI and Field Director confirmed the incident Kesla police station in-charge Madan Lal Pawar said pieces of the body and trousers were found at the spot. After post-mortem, the body was handed over to the family, who have performed the last rites. The matter is under investigation. STR Field Director Rakhi Nanda also confirmed the incident, stating that a tribal villager was killed by a tiger. She said the incident took place near a backwater area that falls within the STR.