Farmer injured in sloth bear attack near VTR

Bettiah: A 45-year-old farmer, Ramesh Manjhi, sustained injuries to his head and neck after being attacked by a sloth bear on Monday morning. The incident occurred in an agricultural field at Bagahi Sakhuani village, located within the Raghiya forest range of the Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) division in Ramnagar block of West Champaran district.

According to forest conservator and VTR director Neshamani K, the bear emerged from the forest and attacked Manjhi while he was working in his field. A forest ambulance was dispatched immediately after the incident was reported and transported the injured farmer to the community health centre (CHC) in Ramnagar.

Dr Sujit Kumar at the CHC said that Manjhi was later referred to a higher medical facility for better treatment due to the severity of his injuries. Villagers reported that this was the second time within a year that the same bear had attacked the farmer.