M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, Jan 12: A wild elephant has damaged a part of the church at Bairya, under the Ramkanda police station in Garhwa district.
According to Pastor Prem Kumar Toppo, the church’s khapra roof has dangerously leaned down, making it impossible to pray in the church on Sunday. He stated that it is unsafe to sit and pray here at this time because children and ladies are attending the Yeshu Aradhna.
Every Sunday, around 45 faithful attend church prayer session, according to the pastor. He and his community are unsure if the forest service will assist them in repairing the church’s damaged section.
The church, according to a devout Vijay Prakash Kujur, was wrecked by a single elephant, not a herd of elephants.
Although a herd of elephants is active in the surrounding areas, destroying property and munching paddy. The elephants are destroying and damaging the homes of the poor, Kujur added.
S K Gupta, the officer in charge of the Ramkanda police station, said the elephant-damaged church is around 12 kilometres away from the police station.
Elephants are roaming the area, according to Gupta, and people should be aware and cautious. According to sources, the elephants have become accustomed to the noises made during their transportation.
Villagers beat tin and plates to scare the elephants away, but the jumbos are unconcerned.
The lone elephant that is supposed to have caused damage to the church didn’t care about a multitude of people following it from a safe distance; instead, he strolled down in his own rage and stood defiantly beneath a tree, forcing the chasing mob to return to their homes at night.
The elephant is coming out soon after the evening sets in. Earlier, it used to come out late at night.
