MP seeks NTCA probe into Bandhavgarh tiger death

Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh Forest Department has requested the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to send an independent team to investigate the death of a tiger involved in Sunday’s fatal attack at Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, amid questions over whether it may have died before being tranquilised.Chief Wildlife Warden (CWLW) Samita Rajora said a four-member NTCA team would reach Bandhavgarh on Monday for an independent autopsy and assessment of the tiger’s death. “The tiger was apparently dead before the veterinarians darted it,” Rajora said, adding that the animal showed no movement prior to sedation.According to officials, the tiger attacked villagers in Khaira Tola under the Panpatha buffer area on Sunday morning, killing one person and injuring several others. Following the incident, senior forest officials, including the Field Director and Deputy Director, along with veterinary staff, reached the site around 8 am to plan a rescue operation in coordination with police and revenue authorities.By then, around 300–400 villagers had gathered, and the situation had turned tense. Officials said the veterinary officer examined the tiger and found “absolutely no signs of movement”. However, to confirm its condition and rule out any risk, it was decided to dart the animal at the spot.The release added that the tiger still showed no reaction after being darted, raising doubts over whether it had already died before intervention.Tensions escalated as an agitated mob allegedly vandalised forest department vehicles and assaulted officials and staff present during the operation. Several personnel, including range officers, forest guards and a driver, were injured and admitted to Manpur Govt Hospital.As per NTCA protocol, an initial post-mortem was conducted, but a second autopsy was ordered after consultations between senior forest officials and the NTCA Member Secretary in Delhi. The carcass was sent to Mukundpur and stored in a deep freezer for re-examination.The second post-mortem is being conducted by a three-member veterinary panel comprising experts from Jabalpur, Mukundpur and the Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT), in the presence of an NTCA representative from the regional office in Nagpur.Officials said forensic and viscera reports will determine whether the tiger had died before darting, died due to injuries sustained during the incident, or suffered any complications related to sedative use.