Man Killed in Lioness Attack in Gir Somnath

Gir Somnath: A 31-year-old man was killed in an attack by a wild animal, suspected to be a lioness, in Gujarat’s Gir Somnath district, a Forest Department official said on Wednesday.

The victim, Mahesh Rathod, was sleeping outside his house near grazing land in Valadar village when the incident occurred. His body was later found on a farm about two kilometres from his home following a search operation, officials said.

“The Forest Department was alerted around 1 am on Wednesday that Mahesh Rathod had gone missing. He was sleeping outside his house near grazing land in Valadar village,” said Prabhakar Kumar, Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF), Jamwala Range.

Kumar said the post-mortem examination confirmed that Rathod had been killed by a wild animal. The Forest Department has installed cages in the area to capture the animal suspected to be responsible for the attack. Villagers, however, said a lioness had mauled Rathod to death.

The incident triggered anger among the victim’s family, which initially refused to accept his body, demanding higher compensation than the ₹10 lakh offered by the authorities.

“We do not want assistance of just ₹10 lakh. We want higher compensation as Mahesh has left behind five children,” said his brother, Mukesh Rathod.

The family also demanded an electricity connection in the area. DeshGujarat