Tiger kills teacher in Panpatha forest in Madhya Pradesh

School teacher Amod Lakda (55) was mauled to death by the predator when he went to collect firewood from the Panpatha forest in the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.

File photo of a tiger at the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh. Photo courtesy: Nature photographer Ramnath Chandrasekhar

A 55-year-old school teacher, Amod Lakda, was mauled to death by a tiger when he went to collect firewood from the Panpatha forest in the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve on Friday.

Enraged over the incident, local villagers set afire a few forest posts and a police post in Khitouli and pelted stones causing injuries to two policemen, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Rameshwar Yadav said on Saturday.The villagers also torched two jeeps and few motorcycles of the forest department.

They demanded that the tiger be declared a man eater.

Mr. Yadav said that Lakda, posted at Karchulia village’s government middle school, was attacked by the tiger in the buffer area near a water tank inside Khitouli range.

A native of Chhattisgarh’s Jashpur area, Lakda's body was recovered from the spot after villagers raised an alarm when he did not return for long, he said.

The tiger disappeared into the wild after killing the man, he added.

Katni SP, Rajesh Hingankar said the situation in the area is under control.