A 58-year-old woman lost her life after being attacked and pushed from her rooftop by a monkey in Rajnagar village under Athagarh Sadar Range on Sunday afternoon.
The tragic incident has sparked outrage among villagers, who accuse the Forest Department of gross negligence and repeated failure to address long-standing complaints about the monkey menace.
Sulochana Sahu, wife of Abhiram Sahu, was collecting clothes she had left to dry on the roof of her house when the monkey suddenly attacked and shoved her, according to her son Pradeep Kumar Sahu, who lodged a complaint at Athagarh Police Station. She was rushed to Athagarh Sub-Divisional Hospital by villagers using an ambulance, but doctors declared her dead on arrival.
Locals say the area has been terrorised by monkeys for a long time. More than 15 residents have already been injured in previous attacks, yet complaints to the Athagarh Sadar Range Officer Shushama Sahu and the local Forester were allegedly ignored. Residents allege that despite Rajnagar being a sensitive range, the Range Officer rarely conducts field visits, and the Forest Range Officer post in Athagarh has remained vacant for a prolonged period.
After the woman’s death, over a hundred angry villagers, along with Zilla Parishad member Balabhadra Bagh and Sarpanch Mahendra Parida, reached the hospital. They later stormed the Athagarh Sadar Range Office demanding answers. When Range Officer Shushama Sahu reportedly asked if they had photographs of the exact moment of the attack, the crowd grew furious and criticised the officials’ attitude. Forest staff reportedly fled the office amid the protest.
Police had to intervene. Athagarh Police Sub-Inspector Dilip Kumar Behera calmed the agitated villagers. The Range Officer, who had locked herself inside the official residence, refused to come out initially even after police requests. She only emerged after the Officer-in-Charge of Athagarh Police Station, Sumanti Kumari Mohanty, reached the spot.
Following discussions with police and villagers, the Range Officer assured that a detailed inquiry would be conducted and compensation would be provided to the deceased’s family based on the report. The police have seized the body for post-mortem, which will be conducted on Monday (March 23). The body will then be handed over to the family.
Athagarh Police have also directed the Forest Department to capture the monkey using a tranquilliser at the earliest.
The incident has once again highlighted serious lapses in the Forest Department’s response to human-wildlife conflict in the region.
