A fisherwoman was killed in a tiger attack in the Sundarbans in Bengal while fishing with her husband near the Chulkati forest area, a human rights organisation reported on Wednesday.
The victim, Bandana Das, a resident of Poylagheri in Maipith under South 24 Parganas' Kultali block, had ventured into the forest-adjacent area with her husband when a tiger attacked her, according to the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR).
Das is survived by a son studying in Class VII and a daughter in Class X, the organisation said, adding that it stood by the bereaved family and expressed its condolences.
The APDR claimed that the latest incident has taken the number of deaths in tiger attacks over the past 18 days to five. It also alleged that 11 people have been attacked by tigers in the Sundarbans so far this year, of whom nine have died and two have sustained injuries.
The organisation further claimed that the bodies of two fishermen, Gopal Chakraborty and Ramprasad Bagani, who were attacked by tigers on May 31, are yet to be recovered, alleging negligence on the part of the forest department.
The APDR submitted a list of demands to the state government, including immediate measures to prevent fisherfolk deaths in tiger attacks, a marine allowance for all fishermen, steps to ensure that children from affected families do not have their education disrupted by financial hardship, and compensation of Rs 10 lakh along with a government job for one member of each victim's family, in line with Supreme Court directions.
The organisation also called upon the forest minister to extend support to the family of the deceased fisherwoman, saying the minister's silence on the issue was unacceptable to the fishing communities of the Sundarbans.
Earlier, The Telegraph Online had reported that over four days starting May 31, at least four fishermen and crab collectors have been killed in separate tiger encounters in the Sundarbans, including in Gajikhali and Haldibari, according to local residents and rights groups.