Ranchi, March 28 An angry elephant, believed to be separated from its herd, trampled four people to death and injured two others in Jharkhand’s Gumla and Simdega districts within 12 hours between Thursday night and Friday morning, officials said.
The incidents have caused panic and chaos in the affected villages as the elephant continues to roam in the area.
The deceased have been identified as Christopher Ekka (60) and Hemvati Devi (35) from the Palkot police station area in Gumla; and Sibiya Lugun and Vikas Ohdar from the Bano police station area in Simdega.
Around 1 a.m. on Friday, the elephant entered Buruirgi village in Simdega and attacked a house, killing Vikas Ohdar.
A few hours later, it chased and trampled Sibiya Lugun to death while she was collecting Mahua in Pabuda village.
Shortly after, it wrapped Hemvati Devi in its trunk and slammed her to the ground while she was collecting lac from a tree in Tetartoli village, killing her on the spot.
Two others, Ajay Minj and Imil Ba, were also injured in the jumbo attack and have been hospitalised.
The rampaging pachyderm continues to move through villages in the Bano police station area, causing widespread panic among the local residents there. Villagers claim a herd of elephants had been roaming in the area for days, but despite repeated alerts, the forest department failed to take action.
They said, “We informed the authorities about the herd of elephants moving in the area, but they did not take any action. This is nothing but sheer negligence.”
Following the tragic incidents, a forest department team is now working to drive the elephant back into the forest. However, locals blame official negligence for the deaths, alleging that authorities ignored early warnings.
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