Gadchiroli: A 70-year-old woman was killed in a tiger attack after she went to harvest paddy in a field near a forest in Irpanpayli village, close to Jarawandi in Etapalli taluka. Her body was found in the forest on Tuesday morning, triggering fresh concerns over the threat posed by the big cat to farmers working in forest-fringe areas.The deceased, Bilashi Anand Ba, had gone to her field on Monday (October 19) to harvest paddy. When she failed to return home by evening, her family members launched a search. Her body was subsequently found in the forest, some distance from the field, on Tuesday morning.Police and forest officials reached the spot after being alerted and conducted a panchnama. The body was later sent to Gadchiroli for postmortem examination.Bilashi is survived by her husband, three children and grandchildren.The incident comes barely two months after a tiger killed farmer Hari Wadde at Dolanda, near Jarawandi, on August 17. Following that attack, residents staged road blockades at Jarawandi and Pendhri, demanding that the forest department take immediate steps to contain the threat.The latest fatality has renewed local anger, with villagers alleging that the forest department has failed to take effective measures despite earlier protests.
