Tusker injures 21 tribal hunters in Bengal

PURULIA/JHARGRAM: Tribals celebrating their annual hunting festival in Purulia were chased by a wild tusker from Friday night till Saturday morning. In a separate incident, a villager in Jhargram was killed by an elephant early on Saturday.
Dodging police and forest guards, around 4,000 tribals were in Ayodhya Hills forest on Friday evening. Around midnight, a wild tusker spotted them and gave chase.
The tusker continued its rampage till morning. Two hunters climbed a tree but the elephant felled it. The duo were trapped under the tree trunk, which the tusker then started kicking. The hunters, identified as Nepal Mahato and Ganesh Mahato, had a lucky escape as the animal left the spot. They were taken to Ayodhya primary health centre, where they were treated for fractured hands. Doctors said 19 others sustained serious injuries.
DFO Purulia division Ram Prasad Badana said: “To enforce the Calcutta HC’s order, we conducted awareness camps across Purulia in a bid to stop tribals from participating in the hunting festival. Police and district administration officials were present at different points of the Ayodhya Hills to prevent their entry.”
In Jhargram’s Kharikasuli, Nilkantha Mahato (70) was killed by an elephant when he stepped out to answer nature’s call. The tusker lifted him with his trunk and threw him on the ground. Neighbours rushed Nilkantha to hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
(With inputs from Sujay Khanra)