Villagers beat the bear to death.
Villagers beat the bear to death.
A wild bear mauled three villagers to death and several others injured near the Sanjay Tiger Reserve in Sidhi district on Monday morning, enraged locals killed the bear using sticks and iron rods.

The incident took place at around 5am in Bastua village panchayat, located adjacent to the forest reserve and falling under the jurisdiction of Madwas police station.

The deceased have been identified as Babbu Yadav (80), his son Santosh Yadav (43), and Deenbandhu Sahu (70). Another villager, Manish Sahu (27), sustained serious injuries and was referred to Sanjay Gandhi Hospital in Rewa.

Madwas police station in-charge Bhupesh Bais confirmed the deaths of three villagers. Speaking to TOI, Hari Prasad Singh, Sarpanch of Bastua village panchayat, said:
"It was around 5 am when Santosh Yadav was going to graze cattle, and the bear came out from the jungles and attacked his buffalo. Our village is situated half in the buffer zone and half in the reserve area. When Santosh intervened, the animal attacked him. Hearing his cries, his father, elder Babbu Yadav, intervened, but the animal then attacked him, killing him on the spot. Another elderly villager, Deenbandhu, also intervened, and other villagers rushed to help. The bear then attacked Deenbandhu, killing him on the spot. The severely injured Santosh and Manish Sahu were rushed to the community health centre, then to the district hospital in Sidhi, but Santosh died before he could reach there.
Manish is also serious and was referred to Sanjay Gandhi Hospital in Rewa from Sidhi district hospital."

"After killing these people, the animal was still in the village and was attacking people. We informed forest officials around 5.30 am and urged them for a rescue team, but the team from the forest department arrived after more than an hour," he further added.

"Locals also attacked the bear, most probably in defence, and the animal died," he claimed.

Forest officials have not yet issued a formal statement on the bear's death or the delay in response. A detailed probe is likely to follow. The incident has sparked renewed concerns about human-wildlife conflict in buffer zone areas around the Sanjay Tiger Reserve.