Bilaspur/Mungeli, Chhattisgarh | August 24, 2026
A 25-year-old villager was mauled to death by a tigress after entering the forest of the Achanakmar Tiger Reserve to collect seasonal forest produce, triggering fear in villages along the Bilaspur–Mungeli border.
The incident occurred around noon on Monday in the Jogipur forest area, where villagers regularly enter the forest during the season to collect tender bamboo shoots and mushrooms.
Victim attacked while collecting forest produce
The victim was identified as Dharamdas Gritlahre, 25, a resident of Bandha village.
According to Nupoor Upadhyay, SDOP Kota, Dharamdas had left home in the morning to collect bamboo shoots and mushrooms. He entered the forest with a group of villagers but moved considerably ahead of the others.
The tigress then attacked him. The animal bit him around the neck, killing him at the spot.
The other villagers fled after the attack and subsequently alerted police and Forest Department personnel, who rushed to the area.
Villagers reportedly confronted the tigress
The incident has caused considerable anxiety in Bandha and neighbouring settlements, particularly because the tigress is believed to still be moving through the area.
There were also reports that some villagers, before Forest and police teams reached the location, threw stones and attempted to drive away the tigress and her cubs. Forest teams have since begun inspecting the area and increasing surveillance.
Local accounts have suggested that the tigress may have cubs nearby, although this aspect remains part of the ongoing assessment.
Forest entry restricted
Following the fatal attack, authorities have warned villagers not to enter the forest to collect bamboo shoots, mushrooms or other seasonal forest produce until the situation is properly assessed.
Forest and police teams have also been deployed to warn people in nearby villages and track the movement of the tigress.
The incident highlights the risks faced by communities that depend on forests for seasonal produce, particularly in landscapes where human settlements overlap with tiger habitat.
Achanakmar is an important tiger landscape
The wider Achanakmar landscape extends across parts of Bilaspur and Mungeli districts and is an important tiger habitat and wildlife corridor in central India.
Camera-trap surveys and other wildlife-monitoring exercises have recorded tiger presence and dispersal in and around the reserve. The landscape is connected through forest corridors towards Kanha, Bandhavgarh and other tiger habitats, allowing tigers to move across adjoining forest divisions.
The latest fatal encounter once again underlines the difficult balance between protecting local communities and conserving tigers in landscapes where people continue to depend on forest resources.
Source credit: This story is based on reporting by The Times of India, by Rashmi Drolia, published on August 24, 2026.
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