Dhanbad News: A man was killed by a herd of elephants at Karmatand village in Topchachi area of the Dhanbad district, about 200 km from Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand. The incident has sparked panic and anger among the local residents who accused of forest department of not taking adequate steps to minimise animal attacks.
According to the local forest officials, the deceased, identified as Gyanchandra Mahato, was trampled by the elephants late Sunday night. Dhanbad Division Forest Officer Vikas Paliwal confirmed that the herd, comprising around 30 elephants, entered the village at around 12:30 am, causing chaos and fear among the villagers.
In a bid to drive away the elephants, the villagers attempted to scare off the herd but the animals retaliated. During the ensuing chaos, Gyanchandra Mahato was crushed to death. His body was sent for a postmortem, which was conducted on Monday evening.
VIctim's Family To Get Rs 4 Lakh Compensation
"After the tragic incident, the herd moved towards Giridih," stated Paliwal, the forest officer . He also mentioned that the government has partially compensated Mahato's family, with the remaining amount to be disbursed upon completion of necessary paperwork. The Jharkhand government offers a compensation of Rs 4 lakh to the families of those killed in elephant attacks.
Anand Mahato, the sarpanch of Karmatand village, said there was anger among the community as this is not the first incident of an elephant attack. "The herd of elephants has been causing disturbances in our area for the past few years. Despite repeatedly informing the forest department, no substantial action was taken. This negligence has now resulted in a tragic loss of life," he said.
With agency inputs.
The atmosphere in Karmatand remains tense, with villagers demanding more proactive measures from the forest department to prevent such incidents in the future. They have called for immediate steps to address the recurring issue of elephant incursions to ensure the safety of the community.