Nuapada: A villager was killed, while his son sustained critical injuries in a bear attack in the Birunpadar village forest in Odisha’s Nuapada district on Sunday morning.
According to reports, Ghanshyam Patel had gone to a pond near the forest along with his son Cheitu Patel for an early morning bath. Suddenly, a bear attacked Ghanshyam and he died on the spot. Seeing his father struggling for his life, Cheitu went to save Ghanshyam, but he too was seriously injured in the bear attack. Hearing the father and son’s cries for help, the villagers rushed to save them. While the bear fled the spot after the arrival of the villagers, Ghanshyam had already breathed his last.
The villagers rushed Cheitu to the Nuapada District Health Center for first aid treatment and later shifted to Komna Group Health Center as his condition deteriorated.
Meanwhile, angry villagers blocked the National Highway No. 353 blocked near Burunpadar village claiming due compensation to Ghanshyam and Cheitu. They demanded Rs 20 lakh as compensation to the family of the deceased and all medical expenses for the treatment of the injured.
Khadyal Forest Officer Sushil Kumar Tripathi, ACF Shiv Prasad Rath, and Ranger Devadatta Sutar visited the spot of the agitation and tried to bring the situation under control.
