Operation Bhediya: Three more attacks, officials rule out wolves
Three more alleged wolf attacks were reported from three different villages under the Hardi police station area late on Thursday night.
Ever since the forest department team caught the fifth wolf (on Sept 10) out of a pack of six wolves, animal attacks have increased in the area.
Three more alleged wolf attacks were reported from three different villages under the Hardi police station area late on Thursday night. Two women and a minor boy were said to have been injured in the attacks last night.
Meanwhile, the Bahraich medical college administration has barred the entry of media personnel in the ward where people injured in wolf attacks were being treated.
Chief medical superintendent (CMS), Dr MM Tripathi, said that media persons are allowed to interact with family members of the injured outside the ward. Tripathi said “our first motive is to provide better treatment to the injured and some restrictions were being followed as preventive measures to protect the injured from infections.” He said that there are five people, including two children, being treated at the ward designated for wolf attack victims.
The first incident happened around 10.30 PM on Thursday when a wolf allegedly attacked one Gudiya, 26, wife of Deepu, in village Singiya Naseerpur. Deepu said his wife was sleeping in the room along with their one-year-old son while he was sleeping outside the room. Deepu said as the door was open due to extreme humid condition; a wolf entered the room and attacked Gudiya.
Listening to the screams he and his brother woke up and raised an alarm after which the animal fled. Gudiya was admitted to CHC Mahsi. According to doctors, the animal bite was not very clear as per the injury. DFO Ajit Pratap said no pugmark was found at the spot and ruled out a wolf attack.
In another incident, a six-year-old boy, Nankau, son of Kashiram, is said to have been attacked and injured by a wolf in Narkotwa village under Hardi PS area around 1 AM on Friday. The boy was rushed to CHC Mahsi. According to the superintendent of CHC Mahsi, the injury marks were seen as an animal bite. However, DFO, Bahraich, Ajit Pratap Singh ruled out a wolf attack as pugmarks of a wolf could not be found in the area.
After an hour, another attack happened in Sammanpurwa village, under the Hardi PS area. One Mukeemun Nisan, wife of Hashmat Ali, is said to have been attacked by a wolf while she was sleeping. She too was rushed to CHC Mahsi and according to the doctors, the injury marks were seen as animal bites.
In most cases of the attacks, doctors who examined the injured, confirmed animal bites. But the forest department officials were denying wolf attacks and calling it an act of jackals or dogs.
Forest teams visited all the three villages and carried out inspections. He said that the attack must have been carried out by jackals, as jackals were also present in the area.
Earlier, Shivani, 12; Suman, 13 and Pushpa, 50, are said to have been attacked and injured by a wolf in three separate incidents on September 11 and 12.
Continuous attacks have increased panic in the area and there was resentment among people as the forest department was not only denying wolf attacks but also unable to state with conviction which animal was attacking and injuring people every day in the area.
Villagers say that normally dogs do not attack people by entering houses.
SHARIQ RAIS SIDDIQUI