An elephant carcass was found about three metres away from the tracks on the Bishamkatak-Therubali railway route in Odisha’s Rayagada district, with officials suspecting that the animal was killed after being hit by a train engine.
A tusker was hit by a banker light engine on the Bishamkatak-Therubali route.
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The incident took place late on Wednesday night near Burundabadi in Bishamkatak block, and the tusker was suspected to have been struck by a banker light engine operating on the railway line.
Personnel from the Railway Protection Force and Forest Department reached the spot and inspected the site. An elephant squad also joined the operation.
Efforts were underway to remove the carcass, officials said, adding that heavy rainfall in the area had delayed the operation. Since the carcass was lying on a slope near the tracks and not on the railway line, train services were not affected, they said.
Officials said a herd of four elephants had been moving through the Bhatpur-Burundabadi area after entering the region from neighbouring Kalahandi district.
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The incident comes amid concerns over elephant deaths on railway tracks in Odisha. In November last year, a tusker was killed after being hit by the Shalimar Superfast Express near Betnoti while it was travelling towards Baripada. A forest guard and two foresters were subsequently suspended in connection with the incident.
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The incident comes amid concerns over elephant deaths on railway tracks in Odisha. In November last year, a tusker was killed after being hit by the Shalimar Superfast Express near Betnoti while it was travelling towards Baripada. A forest guard and two foresters were subsequently suspended in connection with the incident.
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In September last year, a female elephant was killed after being hit by the Dhanbad-Bhubaneswar Special train near Sunakhan forest in Sundargarh district.
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.
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Home/India News/Odisha: Tusker Killed After Being Hit by Train Engine in Rayagada
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