A fisherman was killed in a tiger attack in the Sundarbans on Friday afternoon, and his body was found on Saturday morning around 35 metres from the attack site after a search that ended when forest personnel drove the animal away with crackers.

The attack is the second tiger-related death in the Sundarbans this week. On Monday, Sambhu Sardar, 32, was killed in Chamta forest while collecting crabs with two others.

Friday’s victim, Tapas Halder, 52, a resident of Nagenabad village under Maipith Coastal police station in South 24-Parganas, had entered the forest with two others, Gopal Paik and Nepal Paik, on Tuesday morning.

Forest officials said the group held a valid boat licence for fishing but — as is often the case during crab collection — they stepped off their boat and into the forest, an act strictly prohibited even in non-restricted zones.

According to accounts given by Gopal and Nepal to fellow villager Pradeep Maity, the trio got off their boat around 4.30pm in a creek linking the Thakuran and Matla rivers and walked around 15 metres into the Sunderkati forest near Bonnie Camp to lay crab traps.

“The tiger came so silently that they had no warning,” Maity said. “It pounced on Tapas, caught him by the neck, and dragged him deep into the forest. The other two shouted but there was nothing more they could do.”

Gopal and Nepal immediately turned back to the village, raising the alarm with both police and the forest department.

A joint search operation was launched on Saturday morning, involving forest
personnel, the police and villagers.

The team travelled by boat for nearly an hour-and-a-half before reaching the attack
site. Officers carried tranquilliser guns, firearms and firecrackers.

“We saw the tiger still roaming near the body,” said one villager involved in the search. “Tigers rarely abandon prey for fear of losing it to other predators such as crocodiles.”

For nearly 30 minutes, the group waited as forest staff burst crackers to push the animal back far enough to allow a recovery. Once the tiger retreated, Tapas’s body was retrieved from beneath a tree and transported for post-mortem.

Forest officials said Tapas and the others held the necessary papers to fish inside the forest. “But they were not supposed to get off the boat and step into the forest.
Nobody has the permission to do that, even in areas that are not prohibited,” one official said.

Livelihood compulsion

Crab fishing has long been considered among the most dangerous occupations in the Sundarbans. “Mud crabs fetch good money,” a retired forest officer said. “Fishermen risk their lives because the returns are high. You can catch fish from the boat, but crabs live in holes on slightly elevated land, not in tidal water.”

Winter, with calmer river conditions, is considered the peak season for crab collection. Tidal currents are stronger in the monsoon.

Honey collectors deployed by the forest department wear masks on the back of their heads to deter tigers from attacking from behind. But similar safety protocols are not provided to fishermen who travel into deep-forest creeks to catch crabs.

Villagers have demanded compensation for Tapas’s family.

Mithun Mondal, vice-president of the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights in South 24-Parganas, said: “The Supreme Court has recently directed that families of tiger-attack victims receive ₹10 lakh. Tapas Halder’s family must get it. And the forest department should provide proper training to fishermen, just as they do during honey collection.”

Asked about compensation for Tapas’s family, a forest official said: “Let us go through the initial reports. It is still too early to comment.”