Back-to-Back Tragedies in Bahraich Village
The quiet villages of Bahraich district in Uttar Pradesh have been plunged into mourning and fear after a series of brutal wolf attacks claimed the lives of two young children within a span of just nine hours. The incidents, occurring on Friday and Saturday, have pushed the death toll from wild animal attacks in Bahraich to ten people in the last three months, with nine of the victims being children.
A Timeline of Terror: The Two Attacks
The first tragic incident unfolded around 4:30 pm on Friday in Mallahnpurva hamlet of Kaiserganj. A five-year-old boy named Star was playing outside his house when, according to eyewitnesses, two wolves emerged from a nearby field. In a swift and horrifying move, one wolf grabbed the child by the neck while the other gripped his legs. Before his family could even react, the predators dragged him away towards a sugarcane field.
Villagers, led by eyewitness Rajendra Singh, gave chase with sticks. "The wolves fled after a 500 metres chase, leaving behind the badly injured boy," recounted Rajendra. The child was rushed to the Bahraich district hospital but was referred to Lucknow for advanced care. Tragically, he succumbed to his injuries on the way.
In a second, equally devastating attack, wolves struck again in the wee hours of Saturday, this time in Khoriasafeek village on the Bahraich-Shravasti border. An infant girl, 10-month-old Sunita, was sleeping outside her maternal home with her mother, Ramadevi, and two siblings. A wolf silently dragged the baby away. The mother was jolted awake by her daughter's cries and screamed for help.
Villagers immediately launched a massive search operation armed with sticks and torches. After more than two hours of frantic effort, they discovered the little girl's body in a nearby sugarcane field.
Official Response and Lingering Questions
In response to the escalating crisis, the District Forest Officer (DFO), Ram Singh Yadav, announced that the department has intensified its efforts. "Drones have been deployed and combing operations have been intensified to catch the wolves," he stated. The forest department has also placed three cages in strategic locations and has repeatedly advised villagers not to leave their children unattended.
However, a new layer of mystery has been added to the situation. Some forest officials on the ground have noted that the pugmarks found at the scene of the second attack in Khoriasafeek village did not match those of wolves. This has raised serious questions about whether a different predator might be involved in at least one of the attacks, complicating the efforts to ensure public safety.
A Region Living in Fear
Despite the forest department's claims of intensified patrols and the fact that five man-eater wolves have been shot dead in Bahraich so far, the attacks continue unabated. This has created an atmosphere of constant fear and anxiety across the region. Families are now forced to keep their children indoors at all times, and villagers are organizing night patrols to protect their communities.
The repeated tragedies have left residents questioning the effectiveness of the current measures and demanding more concrete and permanent solutions to the growing conflict between humans and wildlife in the area.
