MP high court seeks reports on 54 tiger deaths last year, 6 this year at Bandhavgarh

Madhya Pradesh high court directs Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, MP forest department to submit reports on 54 tigers last year and 6 this year

Published on: Feb 11, 2026, 23:46:34 IST

By Shruti Tomar

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Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh high court, Jabalpur bench, has directed Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve to submit the cause of death and postmortem reports for six tigers that died this year, and the MP forest department to provide a detailed investigation report on the 54 tiger deaths recorded last year.

Four tigers, including a sub-adult, died within the reserve, while two others died on February 2 in Shahdol near Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.

The division bench of high court chief justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and justice Vinay Saraf on Wednesday was hearing a petition filed by Bhopal-based wildlife activist Ajay Dubey regarding the deaths of 54 tigers in Madhya Pradesh, the highest since the launch of the Tiger Project in the country.

Field director of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve Anupam Sahay and MP forest officer has been asked to submit the detailed report by February 25.

Petitioner’s advocate Aditya Sanghvi told the court that six tigers have died in the Shahdol district and the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.

Four tigers, including a sub-adult, died within the reserve on January 7, 8, 16 and 20, while two others died on February 2 in Shahdol near Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. “None of the tiger deaths were natural; they were caused by electrocution or other unnatural events,” he added.

“According to the latest census, Madhya Pradesh has 785 tigers. Despite being a tiger-controlled state, 54 tigers are projected to die in Madhya Pradesh in 2025. The state experienced 43 deaths in 2022, 45 in 2023, and 46 in 2024. According to official data from the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, approximately 57% of deaths are considered unnatural, due to poaching, electrocution, or unknown circumstances,” Sanghvi said.

A committee was formed to investigate the tiger deaths and poaching incidents that occurred in the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve and Shahdol Forest Circle over the past three years, said the petitioner.

“An investigation into the reports reveals glaring negligence, such as the discovery of old, mutilated tiger carcasses in some cases, missing body parts in others, and a lack of effort to identify and apprehend the perpetrators. Furthermore, it appears that the standard operating procedures and guidelines set by the Wildlife Headquarters and the National Tiger Reserve were not followed. The conservation authority’s directives for proper handling of cases were not followed. Most importantly, tigers were often reported as having been ‘in a fight,’ but no proper investigation was conducted,” reads the petition.

MP forest department’s additional principal chief conservator of forest, L. Krishnamurthy, said, “The cause of most of the deaths were either accidental or territorial. We are investigating every case properly with all forensic evidence.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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