Wolves maul to death child, injure woman in UP's Bahraich; animal attack cases reported in Sitapur
Bahraich/Sitapur (UP), Sep 2: A two-year-old girl was killed and a septuagenarian woman injured in separate wolf attack incidents in the Mahsi division of Bahraich district while reports of suspected animal attacks were also received from neighbouring Sitapur district.
District Magistrate (Bahraich) Monika Rani said this was the eighth death in wolf attacks since July 17.
Seven children were among those killed in the attacks and about 30 injured, she said.
According to officials, two-year-old Anjali was sleeping with her mother outside their home in the Garethi Gurudutt Singh village of the Hardi area on Sunday when she was taken by a wolf.
The child's mutilated body was found a kilometre from the village, the officials said and added that the wolf had eaten both her hands.
In the second incident, 70-year-old Kamala Devi from Mauja Kotiya village in the Barabigha area was injured when a wolf entered her house and attacked her early on Monday, they said.
She was admitted to the district hospital with injuries on her neck, mouth and ears and her condition was stated to be stable, they added.
The administration has already caught four wolves and is working to catch the others, District Magistrate Rani said.
However, the presence over a hundred revenue villages in the district has compounded the problem, with the wolves attacking a new village every four to five days, she said.
People are being made aware about the situation and told to sleep inside their homes with the doors closed or on rooftops, Rani said.
According to reports, two wolves are attacking but the forest department is collecting information about the exact number, she added.
Superintendent of Police Vrinda Shukla and Rani took stock of the situation and met the toddler's family members. They have also directed that the injured woman gets proper treatment.
In neighbouring Sitapur, fear gripped residents of Parsehra Sharikpur village after three women were injured in attacks by unidentified animals.
While locals claimed that the women were attacked by wolves, forest department officials suspect that a jackal was behind the attacks.
A forest department team collected animal samples and footprints and ruled out a wolf or tiger attack.
A Parsehra Sharikpur official said Rosida (30) was asleep with her three children in her home when she was attacked. Rosida suffered claw injuries on her hand.
Two more women -- 60-year-old Ramshree and 65-year-old Kailasha -- were attacked, the official added.
The official said villagers immediately informed the forest department and alleged that the women were attacked by a wolf.
Divisional Forest Officer Naveen Khandelwal told reporters, "Our team did not find footprints of any wild animal such as wolf, tiger, leopard or panther. Footprints of jackals were found and were confirmed by forest teams."
He also appealed to the public to avoid spreading rumours about animal attacks and creating panic.
"If any animal is found, people should immediately report to the forest department so that we could help them out on time," he added.
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TN polls: TVK pushes DMK behind with leads in 83 seats, AIADMK ahead in 54
Chennai (PTI): New entrant TVK, led by actor-politician Vijay, was leading in as many as 83 constituencies on Monday when counting of votes polled in the April 23 Assembly polls was on across Tamil Nadu. The AIADMK was leading in 58 seats while the ruling DMK was ahead in 34, EC data showed.
About two hours after the postal ballots were counted and EVMs opened for multi-round counting, Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam surged ahead of its Dravidian rivals-- the DMK and the AIADMK, with the ruling party struggling to catch up.
If the trends maintain, Vijay could as well ensure the biggest electoral upset, something in lines with the "1967,1977" wins he had referred to in his campaign speeches.
While the Dravidian stalwart CN Annadurai brought the first non-Congress government in Tamil Nadu post-independence in 1967, the charismatic MG Ramachandran (MGR) installed the maiden AIADMK government 10 years later, unseating then DMK government under M Karunanidhi. TVK was leading in most Chennai segments, all considered DMK strongholds and currently represented by the party in the 234-member House.
A poor show by DMK could belie most exit polls giving an edge to it, riding on the number of populist measures Chief Minister M K Stalin had implemented in his five year "Dravidian model," inclusive governance.
According to EC and TV reports, 15 cabinet ministers, including Stalin were trailing. His son and deputy CM Udhayanidhi was also behind in his incumbent Chepauk-Tirvuvallikeni seat, according to a number of reports.
Stalin was trailing behind TVK's VS Babu by 1234 votes in Kolathur segment. Vijay was ahead in Tiruchirappalli East by over 3,000 votes at the end of two rounds of counting, according to EC data.
BJP is trailing in 26 constituencies and it is ahead in Thali segment alone. TVK is ahead in constituencies including Ponneri, Tiruvallur, Poonamalle, and Avadi.
AIADMK is leading in segments including Katpadi, and Guidyattam and party chief Edappadi K Palaniswami is ahead in Edappadi segment by 7003 votes.
DMK was leading in segments including Vellore, Anaikattu and Rishivandiyam.
