A tiger entered a village located in the periphery of the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh on Monday, attacked a man, and later sat on a cot inside a house, forcing residents to flee to the rooftop.
According to villagers, the tiger attacked a young man, Gopal Kol, knocking him to the ground in a single pounce.
He sustained serious injuries to his leg and was rushed to Barhi Hospital in Katni District for first aid before being referred to Katni for further treatment, accompanied by a team of officials from the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.
After attacking Gopal, the tiger entered the house of Durga Prasad Dwivedi and sat on a cot, leaving villagers terrified, forcing many residents to climb onto the rooftops of their houses out of fear.
Tiger strays into village near Madhya Pradesh's Bandhavgarh Reserve, attacks man pic.twitter.com/fWuqiFFWll
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The tiger was first spotted in the fields near the village around 10 am, walking along the crop boundary from the Panpatha buffer zone. Villagers soon alerted the forest officials. However, by noon, it moved from the fields into the village.
Villagers said wild animals are frequently seen in the area, and they usually chase them away with sticks. However, when they tried to surround the tiger to drive it back into the forest, it retaliated and attacked Gopal.
A rescue team from the Panpatha buffer zone soon reached the spot after being alerted. It took eight hours to tranquilise the tiger, who was later rescued in the evening.
Officials said tigers are frequently seen roaming in the buffer areas, especially Panpatha.
"A tigress was recently spotted near this area. When villagers gathered, the animal got scared and ran into the village. As soon as we received the information, we sent a rescue team along with a veterinary doctor and a rescue vehicle to safely capture and release the tiger back into the forest," Deputy Director of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve PK Verma said.
This is not the first such incident in the region. A tigress was earlier spotted in the Gadariya Har area of Chilhari village, who was rescued on December 26 and relocated to the Madhav Tiger Reserve.
The incident comes at a time when Madhya Pradesh, often referred to as India's "Tiger State", is facing serious concerns over tiger protection and rising human-wildlife conflict. The state has already recorded 55 tiger deaths in 2025, the highest ever in a single year since Project Tiger was launched in 1973.
Official data shows that 11 of the 55 tiger deaths this year are classified as unnatural, with around eight linked to electrocution or bush hunting, highlighting the growing tension between wildlife conservation and rural livelihoods.
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