Operation Bhediya: All quiet on Bahraich front; lull before storm?
The last attack of wolves was reported in Girdharpur on September 3 in which one Afsana, 5, sustained injuries.
Even though no wolf attack was reported for the last six consecutive nights under Mahsi Tehsil area of Bahraich, both the villagers and teams of the forest department were fully alert and the operation to search for the two elusive wolves was in full swing.
About 35 villages under the Mahsi Tehsil were under threat of wolf attacks for the past 50 days. Wolves have killed 10 people, including nine children, in the area, while about four dozen people were said to have been injured in the attacks. Out of the 10 deaths, three were said to be suspicious as no clear evidence of wolf attack could be found.
Divisional forest officer (DFO), Bahraich, Ajit Pratap Singh, said that no incident of wolf attack was reported on the night of September 8. The last attack of wolves was reported in Girdharpur on September 3 in which one Afsana, 5, sustained injuries. Prior to this, two-and-a-half-year-old Anjali was mauled to death in a wolf attack in Nauwan Garethi village on September 2.
The DFO said that the affected villages along the Ghaghra river basin had been divided into three sectors and sector in-charges have been deployed for monitoring each sector. Singh said the rescue teams searched all the places informed by the villagers on Monday. The teams searched the areas with the help of four thermal drones to capture the two elusive wolves, but the location of the wolves could not be traced on Monday too.
He further said that apart from drones, teams had installed camera traps in sensitive areas to find the movement of the wolves, but nothing could be found. Besides, no fresh pugmarks were found in the area, he added.
Additional principal chief conservator of forests, Sanjay Pathak said awareness programmes were being conducted continually in the area and there has been no let up in night patrolling. He said that the command centre established at the divisional level collects information round the clock and action was being taken as per the information.
Along with all precautionary measures, patrolling teams were lighting firecrackers in the outskirts of the highly sensitive affected villages to prevent the wolves from entering residential areas. Pathak said all the villagers of the affected areas are being encouraged to sleep safely inside their houses at night by closing doors of their houses.
Out of a pack of six wolves, the fourth and the last one was trapped on August 29. Both the forest department and villagers heaved a sigh of relief and it was assumed that now the attacks would be stopped. But the two wolves created panic in the area after a girl was killed on September 2 and four persons were injured in three consecutive days on September 1, 2 and 3.
Heavy police force, forest teams of seven divisions including Ayodhya, Sultanpur, Barabanki, Katarniaghat, Gonda, Shravasti and Bahraich were deployed to catch the two elusive wolves but in vain.
SHARIQ RAIS SIDDIQUI