SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Oct 16: Panic prevails in forest villages of Giridih after a stray elephant of the herd trampled four people, including a woman to death in 48 hours at different places, a forest department official said.
The official, on Saturday morning, informed that the elephant trampled Majhni Devi (50), a resident of Parasbani village of Nawadih Panchayat under Pirtand police station around 24.3 km away from the district headquarters when she had gone to attend her call of nature at around 5am in the nearby forest.
Having seen the elephant pulling up Majhni Devi in its trunk, other women called for help but before the villagers could reach the spot, the elephant had gone into deep forest. Majhni Devi died on the spot.
The Forest Officer said that on Friday night the same strayed elephant had killed a handicapped villager Ajay Singh in Khudisar village under Dumri police station, around 43.9 km away from the district headquarters. He had gone out from his house after taking night meal when the elephant pulled him down. Family members took him to sadar hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.
It is being said that after the incident, villagers of Khudisar chased away the elephant from the area which then entered the Pirtand forest region and killed Majhni Devi today.
Earlier, elephants had killed two persons on Thursday in Saria police station area.Villagers resented that neither the officials of forest division nor the district administration has initiated any step for protection of helpless villagers.
“Giridih Divisional Forest (DFO) department looks helpless and banking only on experts of Bankura (West Bengal) to rejoin the stray elephant with its herd. Now we have left with no option but to do ‘gherao’ of main roads to draw the attention of the district administration,” said Bhikhan Hembram, a resident of Kudhiosar village.
However an official of the Divisional Forest Department said that the compensation fixed by state government would be paid to the victim’s family after completion of official formalities. He said that the department has also sent a team to drive out the elephant from the region.
