Maharashtra’s human-wildlife conflict has intensified after two children were reportedly killed in separate wildlife attacks in Bhandara district within days, prompting Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar to question the response of Forest Minister Ganesh Naik and the state forest department. The incidents have also renewed concerns about the safety of farmers, labourers and residents living near forest areas in Bhandara, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli.
According to a report by Loksatta, a five-year-old child died in a wildlife attack at Donad in Lakhandur taluka on November 5. On November 13, an eight-month-old child sleeping in a cradle inside a house at Tirri in Pauni taluka was allegedly carried away by a leopard and died in the attack. The report said the incidents have raised concern because the second attack occurred inside a home rather than in an agricultural or forest area.
Wadettiwar said the recent deaths showed that residents were no longer safe even in or around their homes. He referred to the reported deaths of farmers and agricultural workers in Chandrapur and Gadchiroli, where people enter fields and forest-edge areas for work. He questioned why the state government had not implemented stronger measures despite wild animals reportedly entering villages and areas close to human settlements.
The Congress leader asked where the forest minister was and what action the department was taking to protect residents. He said the government had a responsibility to protect citizens and criticised what he described as a lack of effective intervention after repeated incidents. His remarks, as reported by Loksatta, were directed at the state government’s handling of the conflict rather than being an announcement of a new policy or response measure.
The reported attacks highlight the different ways in which people encounter wildlife in eastern Maharashtra. Farmers and farm labourers may come into contact with animals while working in fields, while residents in forest-edge settlements can face risks near their homes. The reported attack at Tirri has added a further dimension to the safety question because the child was inside a house at the time.
Wadettiwar also contrasted the forest department’s response to wildlife-related offences with its response to human deaths. He alleged that the department quickly takes action against several people when wild boar hunting is detected, but questioned who would accept responsibility when people are killed in tiger or leopard attacks. He called for elected representatives to be taken into confidence and for a permanent solution to the problem.
The report did not provide details of any new statewide measures announced by the forest department or the minister following the two Bhandara incidents. The immediate official steps, including any investigation into the attacks, compensation for the families and measures to prevent further movement of wildlife into settlements, remain to be established from the information available.
