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Manipur Tiger suspected of mauling policemen -
Jaggi Saroop Pathak
15th September
Three days ago the bodies of Avinash Malotra , Kanhaiya
Oberoi and Udai Saikia were found in the local jungle near the
village of Khajjiar. The area is locally known as the
Switzerland of India, it is near Chamba and not too far from the
borders of Northern Punjab. It is believed that our Tiger has
travelled at unusal speed from Manipur to this region, sticking
to the jungle areas. Interestingly the morning the policemen
lost their lives, witnesses say a trailer van similiar to the
one we have been investigating was seen at the very spot their
jeep crashed. It may seem unreal but I am now convinced
something supernatural is happening and our Tiger is making his
way into North Punjab.
Malotra was the Thanedaar in Khajjiar, Oberoi his Seargeant
and Saikia a constable and the driver of the jeep. Strangely the
night before I had accompanied Gian Singh and Vivek Sharma to
the police station where Malotra was based where the TFP Rangers
had asked him to look out for the van and any Poachers meeting
the descriptions previously published.
I recall a young feafull looking girl was sitting on a side
bench. Oberoi had just brought her in. The next morning when the
Jeep veered off the road, near where the Trailer van was parked,
she was being transported to the District chief in Dalhousie.
Her name is Beena Nana. She was being questioned by the police
in relation to her brother , Anil Nana, a suspected Terrorist.
That night her father had also been detained in the jail to
question him in regards to his son’s whereabouts and activities.
After the jeep crashed, people saw her crawl out of the vehicle,
bloodied and dazed. Some people were about to offer help, when
she ignored them and ran into the Jungle.
Malotra managed to climb out of the crashed vehicle and help
his comrades. As luck would have it, they managed to escape
before the engine blew the jeep up. Afraid for the girl, they
followed he into the jungle, despite their injuries. This is
where the story becomes confused. No one is sure exactly what
happened. Other officers arrived on the scene. By this stage the
Trailer had vanished and no one had alerted the TPF. A good hour
after the men had vanished after her into the jungle, police
officers entered the jungle and swept the area for a couple of
hours. They eventually found the three men, all dead and not too
far apart from each other. Apparently Malotra had his clothes
torn from his clothes and neck snapped from all appearances an
animal. The others had also been badly mauled. It was
established that the marks were those of a Tiger, at which point
the Rangers were informed. There was no evidence that the Tiger
killed them to feed upon, as otherwise their bodies are intact.
A couple of miles away a Water Buffalo was found half eaten. It
was very clear that it had been killed by the Tiger. The
whereabouts of the girl are unknown, and she has now become a
wanted person. Below is a picture of her. If anyone has seen her
please inform the local police.
Anil Nana is said to be a very dangerous man, and people are
advised to stay away from him. If he is seen, again please
inform the police. It is believed that one of the police men had
actually found Beena, as there are stab wounds to his body,
believed to come from a knife she may have been carrying. These
wounds are distinct from those attributed to the Tiger, and
imply that he may have mauled an already murdered officer.
Whatever the case, considering the previous attack on a person,
we are now dealing with a Man killing Tiger. People need to be
very vigilent.
I find it difficult to believe that our Tiger is a man
killer. Due to what has happened the region’s police is giving
the TPF full support and no one is going to shoot to kill if a
Tiger is seen. Vivek was clear that tranquiliers will be used.
He fears that this incident may panic people and put our already
endangered Tiger population at risk. He is particurily concerned
about people putting out poisened meat which will attract Tigers
and Leopards. Gian Singh is of the belief that our Tiger is
heading into Punjab. The pattern so far has been that the Tiger
stays near the edge of Jungles and is highly unlikely to go into
mainstream heavily populated areas.
It is unlikely now that the Poachers will use the trailer to
hunt thier quarry. Despite these events we must not forget that
these men are wondering our Indian jungles and laying traps for
our precious Tigers. The descriptions of what we think the men
look like are below. Again, if anyone has seen them please
inform your local police or write in to the Tribune. The
Poachers must be caught. |
