Rampaging elephant wreaks havoc in Jharkhand’s Chaibasa, kills five in three days

Chaibasa (Jharkhand), Jan 6 A rampaging wild elephant has unleashed terror in the Goilkera block of Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district, killing five people in separate incidents over the last three days, triggering widespread fear and panic among residents.

The latest tragedy occurred late on Monday night when the jumbo attacked a family while they were asleep in their house.

According to officials, the tusker began demolishing the house of Kundra Bahda, forcing the family to flee in panic. However, Kundra Bahda, his son Kodma Bahda, and his daughter Samu Bahda were trampled to death during the attack.

Another child of the family, Jingi Bahda, sustained serious head injuries while trying to escape. She was initially treated locally but was later referred to Rourkela in neighbouring Odisha due to her critical condition.

A day earlier, on Sunday night, a 56-year-old woman, Jonga Kui, was killed in Bila Kundukocha village of the same block. She was reportedly asleep when the pachyderm attacked her house and trampled her to death. Her husband, Chandramohan Laguri, narrowly escaped and survived.

On Friday night, a 13-year-old boy, Renga Kaiyam, was trampled to death by elephants while sleeping in a barn in a settlement in the Saiyatwa forest area near Chaibasa.

Forest department officials said the movement of the tusker has been tracked in Goilkera and adjoining areas for several days. In an effort to bring the situation under control, a 10-member expert team from West Bengal was deployed on Monday to drive the elephant back into the forest.

According to official data, 13 people have lost their lives in elephant attacks in West Singhbhum district over the past two months, with six fatalities reported from Goilkera block alone. Human encroachments on forest land and resultant loss of habitat for the elephants lead to frequent man-animal conflicts.

The repeated incidents have sparked fear and resentment among villagers, who are demanding a permanent solution to the elephant menace. Locals have also urged the forest department and the district administration to ensure swift compensation for the families of those killed or injured.

A recent report by the Wildlife Institute of India highlights the scale of the problem, stating that Jharkhand recorded 1,740 incidents of elephant attacks between 2000 and 2023, resulting in 1,340 human deaths.

Nearly 200 people have reportedly died in elephant attacks in Jharkhand between 2023 and 2025.

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