Arunachal Congress blames govt negligence for Mayodia tiger attack, demands ex-gratia and job for victim’s family

The Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) on February 4 termed the fatal tiger attack at Mayodia that claimed the life of police head constable Chikseng Manpang as a result of government negligence and administrative failure, and demanded immediate ex-gratia compensation and a government job for one eligible member of the victim’s family.

In a strongly worded statement, APCC president Bosiram Siram expressed deep grief over the death of Manpang, a resident of Manfaiseng village in Namsai district, who was killed by a tiger while returning home after duty. Siram said the party stands in complete solidarity with the bereaved family and described the incident as an “irreparable loss.”

The APCC alleged that the tragedy exposed the failure of the State Wildlife Department and the BJP-led state government in safeguarding human lives. Siram said the incident was not an unavoidable act of nature but the direct outcome of administrative apathy, poor planning and governance collapse.

He pointed out that for over a month, reports of free movement of tigers along the Mayudia–Anini road had been circulating on social media and among local residents, yet the authorities failed to take timely preventive measures. Despite Mayudia being a known tourist destination with frequent movement of civilians, tourists and government officials, no effective surveillance, patrolling, warning systems or safety protocols were put in place, he alleged.

Calling it particularly tragic, the APCC president said the deceased police personnel was returning from Anini after attending the “Sarkar Aapke Dwar” programme and was made to travel through a high-risk wildlife corridor without official transport or adequate protection. This, he said, reflected a disturbing lack of sensitivity and foresight on the part of the government.

Siram also questioned the government’s tourism push, stating that promotion of tourism without robust safety mechanisms and clear advisories was both meaningless and dangerous. He asserted that while human–wildlife conflict can occur, preventable negligence cannot be justified in the name of wildlife conservation.

The APCC demanded immediate securing and restriction of vulnerable areas in and around Mayudia, fixing accountability of officials responsible for the lapse, payment of adequate ex-gratia compensation, and appointment of one eligible family member of the deceased in a government job. The party also called for the deployment of permanent wildlife response and monitoring teams in sensitive zones and the issuance of a public white paper on rising incidents of human–wildlife conflict in Arunachal Pradesh.

Warning the government, Siram said if the “reckless and indifferent” approach continued, it would have to face moral and political accountability for future incidents. He said the people of Arunachal Pradesh deserve responsible governance, not post-tragedy assurances, and reiterated that human lives cannot be treated as collateral damage of administrative incompetence.