Amid rising man-tiger conflicts, a 60-year-old caretake-cum-chowkidar of the Jain Temple in the historic fort of Ranthambore National Park in Sawai Madhopur was killed by a tiger early Monday morning.

According to Field Director and Chief Conservator of Forests Anoop KR, the deceased, Radhey Shyam Saini, was one of the three chowkidars at the Jain Temple in the fort. Equipped with a lathi (stick) and a torch, he had ventured into the jungle around 4:30 AM to attend nature’s call.

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Minutes later, those present in the fort heard Radhey Shyam’s cries from the nearby jungle. Accompanied by forest officials, they rushed to the spot and found his lathi and torch near the fort’s ramparts, he said.

Later, during a search conducted by foresters and the police, the deceased’s body was found in the bushes around 35 to 40 metres away. The tiger seemed to have grabbed him by the neck and dragged him into the bushes. The victim’s thigh was also mutilated, and it appeared that the big cat had taken a bite or two, official sources said.

A crowd of local people gathered outside the district hospital, where the body was kept, and raised slogans against forest officials.

This is the fourth casualty in the past five to six months. Of these, three persons — a seven-year-old child, a Forest Ranger, and now this temple caretaker — were attacked and killed by tigers in the national park in less than two months (since April 16, 2025). Earlier, a shepherd was killed in a similar attack in November last year. The tiger believed to have killed him was also found dead in the forest a couple of days after the incident.

As many as 23 persons have been killed in such incidents over the past 38 to 40 years, a wildlife activist said.