Four women killed in tiger attack in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur district

According to preliminary information, 13 women had ventured into forest to collect 'tendu' leaves when the attack took place.

Mumbai: In one of the deadliest incidents of human-wildlife conflict reported in recent years in India, four women were killed in a tiger attack in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur district on Friday morning, sending shockwaves across the state and renewed concerns over the growing interface between humans and big cats in central India’s forested landscape.

The incident, which occurred in the Gunjewahi-Pawanpar forest area of Sindewahi taluka, is being described by officials and wildlife observers as an extremely rare and brutal attack in which a single tiger is suspected to have killed four people. 

The tragedy unfolded against the backdrop of an intense summer heatwave sweeping across Vidarbha, forcing villagers to continue venturing into forests for livelihood activities despite rising risks.

The victims were among a group of 13 women who had entered the forest early in the morning to collect tendu leaves — a seasonal forest produce that provides crucial income to thousands of poor rural families across Vidarbha during summer months. Forest officials said the tiger, believed to have been concealed in dense undergrowth, suddenly charged at the group, leaving the women with virtually no opportunity to escape.

The deceased were identified as Kavdubai Dadaji Mohurle (45), Anubai Dadaji Mohurle (46), Sangeeta Santosh Chaudhary (36), and Sunita Kaushik Mohurle (33). Three of the victims belonged to the same family, deepening the tragedy for the village community.

Officials who reached the spot later described the attack as swift and ferocious. The four women died on the spot, while the remaining members of the group fled in panic, screaming for help as the tiger disappeared into the forest.

The incident site lies nearly 70 kilometres from Chandrapur city, in a region that has increasingly become a flashpoint for human-tiger encounters. Sindewahi Forest Range Officer Anjali Sayankar and other forest personnel rushed to the area after receiving information from terrified villagers.

Chief Conservator of Forests (Chandrapur Circle) R M Ramanujan is personally monitoring the situation. Forest department teams have intensified patrolling, deployed tracking personnel and begun efforts to trace the tiger’s movement.

Authorities have appealed to villagers not to venture deep into forested areas until the animal is located and the situation stabilises.

The tragedy has once again drawn national attention to the mounting pressures on both wildlife and forest-dependent communities in Maharashtra’s tiger landscape.

Chandrapur district, home to the famed Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, has one of the highest tiger populations in the country outside protected reserves. 

Conservation successes over the past decade have led to a steady rise in tiger numbers, but shrinking habitats, expanding human settlements, mining activity, linear infrastructure projects and increasing dependence on forests for livelihoods have intensified encounters between humans and wild animals across India. 

Wildlife experts point out that summer months are particularly sensitive, as scarcity of water and prey often forces animals to move closer to villages and human-use areas.

Simultaneously, villagers enter forests in large numbers during the tendu leaf collection season, increasing the possibility of sudden encounters with tigers, leopards and bears.

The incident has triggered panic across villages in the forest belt of Chandrapur and neighbouring districts. Residents alleged that despite repeated incidents over the years, adequate preventive mechanisms and rapid response systems remain insufficient in vulnerable rural areas.

Leader of the Congress Legislature Party and Brahmapuri MLA Vijay Wadettiwar criticised the administration over recurring attacks in the region.

“The poor and hardworking people from rural areas enter forests only to earn a livelihood and feed their families. The tiger-human conflict is not new. Innocent people continue to lose their lives, yet the government and forest department are still not adequately prepared to protect them,” he said.

According to official estimates, nearly 200 people have died in Maharashtra in attacks by wild animals — including tigers, leopards and other species — in recent years. Since January 2026 alone, at least 19 people have reportedly lost their lives in similar incidents linked to human-wildlife conflict.

Conservationists say the Chandrapur region represents both the success and the challenge of India’s tiger recovery programme. While tiger populations have rebounded significantly, coexistence strategies involving local communities, compensation mechanisms, early-warning systems and habitat management have not kept pace with the rapidly changing ground realities.

The latest tragedy is likely to intensify demands for stronger mitigation measures, including better monitoring of tiger movement near villages, enhanced compensation for victims’ families, alternative livelihood support for forest-dependent communities and improved coordination between local administrations and forest authorities.