A seven-year-old boy was mauled to death by a tiger near the Trinetra Ganesh temple in Ranthambore on Wednesday afternoon, officials said. Bharat Singh, SHO of Sawai Madhopur's Kundera police station, said the incident happened between 2.30 and 3 pm. “The child was returning from the temple where he had gone with his grandmother and uncle to offer prayers. As per eyewitnesses, a tiger appeared and took the boy away,” he said. The child was a native of Bundi. Ramsingh Gurjar, an eyewitness who was also returning after offering prayers at the temple, said the tiger came rushing from the jungle, took the child in its jaws and ran away. Alerted by local residents, forest officials reached the area and closed the routes around the temple. The tiger is believed to have kept the child with it for some time. Eventually, the tiger was chased away, and the child's body was retrieved and sent to the mortuary of the district hospital. Police said the body was handed over to the family after a postmortem. The SHO said the family will be given compensation as per established rules.
