Uttarakhand: Suspected of killing a boy, angry villagers kill crocodile

The crocodile succumbed to the injuries after the villagers of Khatima in US Nagar battered it with sticks on Sunday evening

Angry villagers in the Kumaon area of Uttarakhand caught and killed a crocodile, suspecting it of killing a 13-year-old boy.

The x-ray revealed the crocodile had not devoured the boy. (HT image)

The crocodile succumbed to the injuries after the villagers of Khatima in US Nagar battered it with sticks on Sunday evening. They suspected that it had devoured a minor boy of their village who was grazing cattle near the river.

“Our officials released the crocodile from the clutches of the villagers and conducted its x-ray in the government hospital on the demand of the enraged villagers to see whether it had any body parts or limbs of the boy. Our veterinary staff tried to treat it to save the reptile’s life but it died sometime after the x-ray,” said Sandeep Kumar, divisional forest officer (DFO), Terai-east Forest division in Kumaon.

Kumar said the x-ray revealed it had not devoured the boy.

According to forest officials, Bir Singh, 12, of Sunpahar village in Khatima block of US Nagar around 75 kms from district headquarters was grazing cattle in the evening on Sunday. Meanwhile, one of his buffaloes entered the Dewha river, a rainy river flowing along the village. As the boy jumped into the river to bring the buffalo back, he suddenly raised an alarm and disappeared within moments.

The villagers rushed to the spot for his help but failed to rescue him. Forest officials of Khatima forest range also rushed to the spot. Meanwhile, furious villagers got into the river with a net to catch the crocodile, suspecting it had attacked the boy.

They caught the crocodile and brought it to the shore of the river and started battering it indiscriminately. They thought it had devoured the minor and wanted to recover his body from the stomach of the crocodile. Forest officials, however, freed the reptile from the clutches of the villagers and promised to conduct an x-ray of the reptile to ascertain whether it had devoured the boy.

The crocodile was brought to the government hospital Khatima for an x-ray in absence of the medical facility in the veterinary hospital of Khatima. An x-ray was conducted on Sunday night but the medical staff found no human body parts or bones in the stomach.

Since the reptile was severely injured due to the attack of the villagers, his condition deteriorated at night and died soon after the x-ray.

“The crocodile was around 6-year-old and 10-foot long,” said RS Manral, ranger, Khatima forest range.

“I have requested SSP US Nagar to conduct a search operation to recover the minor’s body. A case will be registered against the villagers involved in beating the crocodile and his death under Wildlife Protection Act 1972,” said the DFO.

In Uttarakhand, crocodiles are found in the Corbett landscape, Terai area, some areas of Haridwar forest division and Rajaji National Park landscape.

In May last year, a crocodile was rescued by the villagers and forest officials in US Nagar. It was then released in Dhaura dam. In September 2020, an eight-year-old girl was killed by a crocodile in Haridwar forest division.

According to the latest wildlife census conducted by the state forest department, crocodile numbers have increased in the state from 123 in 2008 to 451 in 2020.

Of 23 Crocodilian species found in the world, India has three species. Uttarakhand has two of the three crocodilian species- Mugger Crocodile and Gharial (in Corbett landscape). Mugger Crocodile (Crocodylus palustris), the most widespread freshwater crocodile species is found

Photo: The crocodile on the table while its x-ray was being conducted in Khatima area of US Nagar.