Class X student killed by elephant on his way to exam centre in West Bengal

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has directed the state education department to arrange vehicles for students living near forest areas so that they can reach the Class X board examination centres safely

A student was killed by an elephant while going to an exam centre on the first day of the Class X board exams in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri on Monday.

The deceased student’s father said they took the forest road to save time. (Representative Image)

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her grief and directed the state education department to arrange vehicles for students living near forest areas so that they can reach the examination centres safely.

According to forest officials, the incident happened around 9am and the victim Arjun Das, a resident of Rajganj, was accompanied by his father, Bishnu Das.

“They (the father-son duo) took the forest road on their motorcycle to save time. There was fog and they didn’t spot the animal. The elephant suddenly attacked them. While the man escaped narrowly, the elephant killed the boy,” said an official.

The incident took place in the Belakoba range of Baikunthapur forest division in north Bengal. The elephant first tossed the boy in the air with its trunk and then trampled him to death. Soon people gathered at the spot upon hearing the screams of the father and the son.

He was rushed to the hospital where the doctors declared him dead.

“We took the forest road to save time. The visibility was low. The elephant suddenly came from nowhere and attacked us,” Bishnu Das told reporters in Jalpaiguri.

“I became very sad after hearing the incident. Nothing can be more tragic than this. This is not in our hands. The elephant population has increased. I have asked the education department to arrange buses for those examinees who stay near forest areas. The forest department needs to look into these things more seriously. The police should also stay alert,” said chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who was on her way back from the poll-bound Meghalaya.

With conservation efforts, the elephant population in the state has shot up from around 175 in 1989 to around 700 at present. More than 350 people have been killed between 2017-18 and 2021-22.