Wayanad:

Authorities in Kerala’s Wayanad imposed a curfew in certain areas of Mananthavady Municipality on Sunday, following the fatal tiger attack on a 47-year-old woman. The tiger has since been declared a man-eater and is scheduled for culling.

Earlier in the day, Forest Minister A K Saseendran made the announcement declaring the tiger a man-eater following a high-level meeting at the district collectorate.

The curfew applies to Division 1 (Pancharakolli), Division 2 (Pilakavu), and Division 36 (Chirakkara) from 6 am on January 27 for 48 hours, according to an official release.

All schools, Anganwadis, Madrasas, and tuition centers in these divisions will remain closed.

Students residing in the affected divisions who attend educational institutions elsewhere will be exempt from attending classes on January 27 and 28, the release added.

Those going to attend PSC exams or exams at educational institutions should contact their division councilor to make necessary arrangements.

The decision comes in the wake of the tragic incident on Friday morning, where Radha, who belongs to a Scheduled Caste community, was mauled to death by the tiger while plucking coffee at the Priyadarshini Estate in Mananthavady village.

The move to declare the tiger a man-eater was made after assessing its repeated attacks and the increasing threat to human lives, Minister Saseendran said.

The same tiger that killed Radha also attacked Beat Forest Officer Jayasurya, a member of the Rapid Response Team (RRT) deployed for patrolling duty in the area on Sunday.

Saseendran said this is the first time in the state that a tiger has been declared a man-eater.

The decision followed a high-level meeting convened on the Chief Minister’s directive to address the growing issue of tiger attacks. Efforts are underway to capture the animal, and a meeting with the Chief Secretary and other officials was held to address public concerns.

The tiger was declared a man-eater after consulting with the Advocate General and other legal experts, with the Chief Minister’s support for the decision, he added.

In response to the threat posed by the tiger, steps have been taken to clear undergrowth in nearby areas, and surveillance in the region will be intensified. As part of enhanced wildlife management, 100 new cameras will be installed in Wayanad, and 400 AI cameras will be set up across the state by March 31 to strengthen monitoring and prevent wildlife-related attacks, Minister Saseendran said.

The minister also criticised the central government for its lack of support in addressing wildlife issues, stating that even reaching them by phone felt futile. However, he assured that the Centre would be notified of the current situation.

During his visit to Radha’s house, Saseendran faced intense protests from local residents who blocked his vehicle, expressing anger and demanding a withdrawal of his statement that Radha was killed inside the forest. Despite the protests, the minister, under police protection, managed to meet Radha’s family members and offered a temporary job to her son.

Addressing the media after the visit, the minister assured that all necessary measures would be taken and urged people to support the government’s efforts. He also promised to personally monitor the progress of these actions and announced that another meeting would be held on January 29 to discuss the issue further.

Later, Saseendran visited Jayasurya, the forest officer injured in the tiger attack, at the hospital.

The tiger attack also sparked protests on Friday, with locals initially preventing the victim’s remains from being taken for postmortem until authorities assured them of measures to ensure public safety and capture or kill the tiger.

After Minister O R Kelu assured the community that steps would be taken, they allowed Radha’s remains to be taken for postmortem.

Following this, the forest department issued an order to capture or kill the tiger, and prohibitory orders were enforced under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) to prevent public gatherings in four divisions of Mananthavady municipality until the tiger is captured.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Wayanad:

A 45-year-old tribal woman, aunt of Indian cricketer Minnu Mani, was mauled to death by a tiger on Friday in Mananthavady of Kerala’s Wayanad district.

The tiger attack victim was identified as Radha, the wife of a temporary Forest Watcher.

Expressing deep pain over the demise of her aunt, Minnu Mani said she wished the killer tiger was taken to task.

Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra expressed deep sadness over the incident.

In the last 10 years, this is the eighth incident that a person has been killed by a tiger in the Wayanad district.

After the news of the killing of Radha spread, the locals were up in arms and began a protest after State Minister of SC/ST O.R. Kelu reached the place.

Following detailed talks, Kelu said a decision had been taken to kill the tiger.

“A sum of Rs 11 lakh will be paid to the family of Radha as compensation of which Rs five lakhs will be paid on Friday itself,” said Kelu.

Following the conciliation talks, the protesters handed over Radha’s body for post-mortem.

The incident occurred when Radha’s husband dropped her on the main road, near the coffee estate owned by a private individual. As Radha was walking towards her workplace, the tiger attacked her, leading to her death.

Incidentally, the issue of man-animal conflict across Kerala, especially in areas bordering the forests, has become a major issue, and the latest incident took place a day after the Kerala Assembly witnessed a heated debate on this vexed problem.

Leader of Opposition V. D. Satheesan slammed Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for “failing” to rise to the occasion to handle this vexed issue, and said during 2019-20, the number of man-animal conflicts which stood at 6,341 rose to 9,838 cases during 2023-24.

On Saturday, Satheesan will embark on a 10-day protest rally demanding the protection of hill district farmers’ rights to address their issues. Satheesan’s rally will start from the hilly area in Kannur and end in the state capital district.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)