Tiger jumps on bonnet of ex-minister’s car

Yavatmal: A tiger has killed two farmers in Ralegaon tehsil over the last couple of months, besides many cattle heads, but the forest department never took notice. Then, on Wednesday, a tiger blocked a vehicle carrying former minister Vasant Purke, and even jumped onto the bonnet of his car. Reacting with alacrity, the forest department installed 50 camera traps to identify and track the beast.
The fear among farmers and labourers had been so great that they even skipped harvesting of crops in 20 villages of Kalamb, Ralegaon and Pandharkawda tehsils of Yavatmal district. They were demanding measures to prevent the attacks, but forest officials were not acting.
Assistant conservator of forest G Guruprasad of Pandharkawda said a tiger was frequently sighted in Ralegaon jungle. It had killed Sakharam Tekam (55), Maroti Nagose (45), and a woman at Pandharkawda. It had been sighted in the jungles of Khairgaon, Zotingdhara and Khorad.
On Wednesday, the tiger stood in the middle of the road at village Mohda on Yavatmal-Pandharkawda road for over 10 minutes and then jumped on the bonnet of the car in which former education minister Vasant Purke was travelling. The driver stopped the car and raised the window panes to save the passengers.
The former minister reportedly spoke to forest officials and registered a protest with Principal Chief Conservator of Forest. This forced foresters to install over 50 cameras in the jungles of Ralegaon to track the tiger on Thursday.
“We have installed cameras at 50 probable sites where the tiger could be trapped,” RFO BP Rathod said, adding that camera footage would be verified to identify the tiger. When and from where the tiger came to Ralegaon jungle is the question yet to be answered.