Elephant kills 3 villagers in Orissa, India

© Satish Hanumantha Rao

Elephant Charging

A tusker killed three persons, including a couple, in Keonjhar district on Saturday night.

The deceased were identified as Laxmidhara Mohanta, 28, a resident of Chakulia village and Purna Chandra Mohanta, 65, and his wife Abanti Mohanta, 55, of Sitarampur village. Purna Chandra was a retired teacher.

Forest department sources said the tusker got separated from a herd at Similipal under Mayurbhanj forest division and entered Keonjhar from Patna range. It then wandered into Champua through Sadar forest range.

Around 10pm, the jumbo attacked Laxmidhara, a labourer, while he was working in a brick kiln near the village. Then it headed towards Sitarampur. Purna Chandra saw the tusker in his garden around 11pm and panicked. His wife rushed out hearing him scream. The elephant attacked and killed them, the sources added.

"The tusker was seen in Balibandh forest. We are keeping a close watch on its movement," said DFO (Keonjhar) kRohit Kumar Lenka. The bereaved families will be compensated in tune with the government rules, he added.

The deaths have created panic in the area with locals accusing the forest officers of failing to protect them and their properties from frequent elephant attacks. Six persons were trampled to death in 2014, eight in 2013, 14 in 2012 and eight in 2011.

There are around 56 elephants in different forests under Keonjhar division. They enter human habitations during harvesting season, attack villagers and destroy houses in search of paddy, the sources added.

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