Silchar: An animal, rumoured to be a tiger, has been spotted in southern Assam’s Karimganj district.
As per reports, a video of the animal roaming in a jungle along a road in Brahmansashan village under North Karimganj assembly constituency near the India-Bangladesh international border, about 68km from Silchar, surfaced on social media between Sunday night and Monday morning. According to some locals, a man captured the video from a car on Sunday night. The 10-second video shows the animal swiftly getting up from a resting position and then walking.
Brahmansashan falls under Brahmansashan gaon panchayat and is home to about 20,000 people. The village comprises both plain and hilly jungle areas. It is about 5km from the Indo-Bangladesh international border.
The news of a tiger caused a panic-like situation among locals, with most residents not going to their workplaces and not sending their children to school on Monday. Farmers kept their cattle and pet animals inside their houses.
Sources said forest officials carried out a search operation but to no avail.
When contacted, Haidar Hussain, range officer, Karimganj Sadar unit, told EastMojo on Tuesday that they saw a report of a tiger being spotted in Brahmansashan on a local news channel on Monday, after which two forest staff visited the village. The forest workers carried out an investigation and spoke to the locals.
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Hussain said the animal is from the Felidae (cat) family, but they aren’t sure if it is a tiger. “We are studying to find out the details of the animal. We have told locals not to venture out of their homes at night. We also told the villagers to contact the forest department immediately if they spot the animal. Meanwhile, we are searching for the animal,” Hussain said.
He said pugmarks are usually found when looking for tigers, but they are yet to find any concrete evidence to confirm that it was a tiger. “We have informed the higher authorities and are keeping a close watch. If it is a tiger, we will tranquilise it and take necessary steps,” he added.
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