Archive · 27 Aug 2026
Fisherman Retrieves Wife’s Body After Sundarbans Tiger Attack
Gautam Das and his wife, Bandana, went into the Sundarbans to catch crabs.
A Bengal tiger suddenly attacked Bandana while she was cooking near their boat.
Gautam shouted and moved toward the tiger to stop it from taking her into the forest.
The tiger let go, but Bandana had already died.
Gautam stayed near her body and kept the tiger away for almost an hour.
He then carried her through the water to another boat.
Another fisherman helped him bring her body home.
Villagers later built a memorial to remember Bandana and another person killed by a tiger.
Gautam Das said a Bengal tiger attacked and fatally injured his wife, Bandana, while they were catching crabs in the Sundarbans on June 17.
Gautam confronted the tiger for nearly an hour and then carried his wife’s body through the creek to another boat.
He brought Bandana home with help from another fisherman after the tiger disappeared.
Villagers recently built a memorial tomb for Bandana and another fisherman killed in a tiger attack.
Fishermen and honey collectors say they depend on the forest for income and lack adequate alternative livelihoods and government support.
- Who
- Fisherman Gautam Das, his wife Bandana, another fisherman, and an organization of fishermen and honey collectors were involved.
- What
- A tiger attacked Bandana, and Gautam fought to recover her body; villagers later built a memorial for her and another tiger-attack victim.
- When
- The attack occurred on June 17; the memorial was built a few weeks before the article was published.
- Where
- Near Kalas camp in the Sundarbans, South 24-Parganas, West Bengal.
- Why
- Gautam wanted to bring his wife’s body home, while the memorial organization sought to recognize people killed in tiger attacks.
- Victim
- Bandana, 37, wife of fisherman Gautam Das
- Fisherman
- Gautam Das, 38, from Bhubaneswari village in Kultali
- Occupation
- The couple had entered the Sundarbans to catch crabs for 12 years
- Attack location
- A creek near Kalas camp
- Standoff
- Gautam said he kept the tiger away from Bandana’s body for nearly an hour
- Memorial
- A newly formed fishermen and honey collectors’ organization built a tomb for Bandana and another tiger-attack victim
- Family visits
- Gautam visits the memorial daily with his son and daughter