On April 13, 2026, a 30-year-old man was mauled to death by a tiger inside a core safari zone of Pench National Park. The deceased man was reported to have been undergoing treatment for a mental ailment. The name of the victim is Dinesh Sewatkar. He went to the core zone for a swim in a natural waterhole inside the forest. This area of Pench National Park is said to be dominated by around 10 Bengal tigers in the Seoni district of Madhya Pradesh. Deceased Sewatkar was a resident of Naharjhir village, located just 300 metres from the core boundary. Although entry is prohibited inside the forest area after sunset, Dinesh Sewatkar was alleged to have entered the forest on Monday evening. The waterhole, where he went to swim, is a critical source of water and is frequented by the large carnivores of the forest.
The patrol team from the forest department were the first to discover the dead body of Dinesh around 5 pm. They were on a routine errand of inspection of natural water sources, a standard summer protocol to assess water availability for wildlife. Officials said the tiger moved away from the area after sensing the team approaching. When they later checked the spot, they found clear signs of what had happened. The soil was disturbed, there were drag marks, and blood was spread around the waterbody, all suggesting a sudden attack had taken place. After the matter came to light, the villagers, said to have been under the influence of mahua liquor, went on a rampage demanding a compensatory amount of Rs. 25 lakhs for the victim’s family.
Pench National Park happens to be a celebrated wildlife destination spread across the districts of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Tourists in large crowds swarm here to get the real taste of wildlife exploration. The tiger population, along with other fauna species, is incredibly notable. In a popular wildlife spot like Pench, such an unfortunate incident deeply affects the reputation of the national park.
The incident shows that Sewatkar had likely stepped into the water and was hiding partly behind a rock, with only his head and shoulders visible. Blood stains found at the spot suggest that a tiger attacked him from there, caught hold of his head, and dragged him away. It is believed that he died on the spot. A forest officer explained that the location falls under the core zone, where entry is strictly banned for people. Despite this, Sewatkar was known to enter the area again and again. Patrol teams had stopped him earlier too and sent him back home. His family had also been warned in the past, and they had apologised, saying he was not mentally stable.
As soon as the news spread, tension started building in the nearby area. A large group of villagers gathered near the Jamtara tourism gate. Eyewitnesses said that many people in the crowd appeared to be drunk. In anger, they damaged the ticket counter, broke three vehicles, and even tried to burn one of them. The crowd was demanding that the forest department recover the body immediately. Later in the night, forest officials carried out a search operation and managed to recover the body around 2 am on Tuesday. The victim’s family, along with villagers, demanded compensation of Rs 25 lakh, referring to a recent statement made by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav. However, officials clarified that this amount has not been officially approved yet. As per current rules, compensation is given under existing policies related to human-wildlife conflict.
They also added that such cases usually do not qualify for compensation, as the incident happened inside a restricted core area where entry is not allowed. Still, to calm the situation, authorities are considering giving an ex gratia amount of Rs 8 lakh. Pench Deputy Director Piyush Goyal said that their main focus right now is to maintain peace and ensure safety for both locals and wildlife. This is the second tiger attack reported in Pench in the past four months. Earlier, on April 1, a man lost his life in the buffer zone while collecting mahua.
