PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Jyotirmath
A bear entered a government school campus in Pokhri block where it dragged a child into the bushes and tore the boy’s clothes with its claws. The boy sustained minor injuries before another student and a teacher raised the alarm, causing the bear to run away into the jungle.
The incident took place in the Harishankar upper primary school in the Pokhri block of Chamoli district on Monday. According to eyewitnesses, a bear entered the school campus and came near the door of a classroom. The children inside shut the door after which the bear attacked a student identified as class VI student Arav. The student screamed as he was being dragged to the buses. Hearing his screams, two students and one teacher shouted and made noise. This scared the bear which left the boy in the bushes and ran away into the jungle. The teacher then removed the boy from the buses and sent him to the hospital for treatment.
According to local sources, there were two bears in the area though only one was involved in the incident. Meanwhile, the Kedarnath divisional forest officer Sarvesh Kumar Dubey said that an incident of human-wildlife conflict involving a bear was reported near the same school a few days ago, following which the Forest department had provided escort for children going to and returning from the school. A bear entering the school campus is a matter of concern.
The DFO further said that permission has been sought from the headquarters to tranquilise the bear. Necessary action will be taken after the permission has been received. Meanwhile, the department is conducting regular patrols to prevent further incidents of human-wildlife conflict, the DFO added.
