A 26-year-old Indian Army soldier was killed after a bison attacked him from behind while he was playing football at the Army Education Centre in Pachmarhi, a hill station in Narmadapuram district of Madhya Pradesh. The incident took place on Thursday evening, around 6 pm, on the sports ground of the centre, which lies adjacent to forest areas of the Satpura Tiger Reserve.
The deceased has been identified as Akash Chauhan, a resident of Panagarh Dehra near Dehradun in Uttarakhand. He was attached to the 17th Command Regiment and was undergoing a two-year Chinese language training programme at the Army Education Centre in Pachmarhi.
According to reports, a herd of bison suddenly emerged from the bushes near the playground while soldiers were playing. One bison charged at Chauhan from behind and gored him in the abdomen with its horns, causing severe internal injuries. He was rushed to the military hospital in critical condition but died before reaching it. Chaos broke out on the field following the sudden attack.
Sanjeev Sharma, Assistant Director of the Satpura Tiger Reserve in Pachmarhi, confirmed the details. He stated that based on information from the Army, soldier Akash Chauhan died due to the bison attack. Sharma noted that while bison herds occasionally enter the Army campus from the adjoining jungle, this was the first such fatal incident in the area. An investigation is underway.
Gopal Ghasle, the local police station in-charge, also confirmed Chauhan’s death and his affiliation with the 17th Command Regiment and the training programme.
The postmortem is scheduled for Saturday. No detailed official statement from the Army has been issued so far.
The incident has highlighted growing concerns over increased bison activity in Pachmarhi. Local residents reported that more than half a dozen wild bison had been roaming in residential areas, including near Khalasa Hotel on Patel Road, for the past two days. Earlier, a herd had also blocked traffic at a small bridge near Shahid Dwar.
Wildlife officials have noted that bison (gaurs) in the Satpura Tiger Reserve are large and powerful animals, often weighing between 400 kg and over 1,200 kg, and can be aggressive when provoked. While fencing exists in some forest sections, animals have been straying into human settlements.
The Satpura Tiger Reserve is known to have a substantial bison population, with earlier surveys recording over 6,600 of the animals. The latest attack has raised questions about safety for both local residents and personnel undergoing training in the area.
