E-Paper
Two killed in wild elephant attacks in Assam; 5 dead in three days: Forest official
Two persons were killed in separate wild elephant attacks in Assam’s Nagaon district on Friday, a few locals were injured in separate elephant attacks in the area on Thursday
Two persons were killed in separate wild elephant attacks in Assam’s Nagaon district, police officers said on Friday, adding that a few locals were injured in separate elephant attacks in the area on Thursday.
Locals said that the herd initially entered the Bajiyagaon area in Samaguri in search of food but turned violent after local residents tried to drive the animals away.
Police identified the deceased as Shariful Islam (42) and Pranab Das (35).
According to locals, Islam was working in a vegetable cultivation field on Thursday morning when a wild elephant attacked him. He died on the spot before locals could rescue him.
Das was attacked during an attempt to drive the animal away from the village. “He was trying to chase one elephant away from the locality in an effort to protect nearby houses and farmlands, but the elephant suddenly turned aggressive and attacked him,” a local said.
The local said that Das sustained critical injuries and was taken to a local hospital where he died during treatment.
A team from the forest department and the police reached the area after locals informed them about the elephant attacks.
“We have deployed our personnel here and asked locals to remain alert. Sometimes people use methods like burning firecrackers to chase elephants away, which creates panic among the animals, and this could be one such case as well,” a forest official said.
Police said that the bodies were sent for postmortem examinations while the injured persons are undergoing treatment. Locals were advised not to venture out until the forest department ensures that the herd has moved away from the area.
Officials said that during the rainy season, elephants often move from hill areas to the plains in search of food, and several incidents of human-elephant conflict have been reported from different parts of Assam over the last few days.
Three persons, including a three-year-old child, were killed in elephant attacks in Assam over the previous two days.
A tribal man, Dewali Toppo, was trampled to death by a wild elephant at Bogijuli near the Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary in Sonitpur district on the night of May 13.
On the same night, a three-year-old child was killed in Arusa Adivasi village in the Bokajan area of Karbi Anglong district after a wild elephant attacked a house.
The same night, a woman identified as Rupali Rongpi was killed in the Kandali area under the Kathiatoli forest range after an elephant allegedly dragged her out of her house and trampled her on a nearby road. Her husband and child narrowly escaped, though the house was damaged in the incident.
Locals in Samaguri appealed to the forest department to take immediate preventive measures such as regular monitoring and stronger fencing to stop elephant movement near populated areas, and also demanded compensation for the affected families.
