Elephant raid at Jalpaiguri village kills one

A marauding wild tusker today trampled a jute framer to death at Saat Khamar village near Raninagar - some 15 km off Jalpaiguri town. The incident took place at about 6 am this morning, after which angry villagers blocked the Siliguri-Jalpaiguri state highway at Raninagar for about an hour between 7 and 8 am.
According to the villagers, the victim, Annadhar Roy (36) was working in his jute field when the wild tusker forayed in. The wild beast first chased the farmer and as he fell on the ground while trying to escape, the pachyderm trod him under its feet.
The man later succumbed to his injuries at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital in Siliguri. Another villager, whose identity could not be known, was also injured in the elephant raid and was under going treatment at the medical college hospital.
Contradicting the villagers, the divisional forest officer (wildlife), Jalpaiguri, Mr Tapash Das claimed that the victims had gone to the jute field to catch a glimpse of the wild tusker and were not working in the filed.
“It is unlikely that a jute farmer would go for reaping at 6 am in the morning. Rather, the man had gone there to catch a glimpse of the pachyderm and his excessive curiosity that resulted in the unfortunate incident,” Mr Das said.
Meanwhile, following a daylong effort, the foresters were able to drive the wild tusker towards the Budhaganj forests in Baikunthapur forest division wherefrom it had forayed into the Saat Khamar village.

Courtesy: The Statesman

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