Guwahati: Following Sunday's incident in Assam's Goalpara forest division, where two persons lost their lives after being trampled by a herd of wild elephants, another similar incident occurred on Tuesday morning, resulting in the death of a youth, reports Tathagata Bhattacharjee.
The deceased, Gangadhar Rabha, was a resident of Haldapara village in Goalpara district.
Goalpara DFO Tejas Mariswamy said during night hours, a dense layer of fog blankets the area, reducing visibility for humans, making it highly dangerous as the area is frequently used as a passage for elephant movements.
"We have repeatedly warned the villagers not to step out of their houses during night hours, as there are chances of encountering the wild jumbos. Rabha was reportedly outside his house, but it remains unclear where he was headed or whether he was alone or accompanied by someone. Unfortunately, he was attacked by a wild elephant in the dense fog," the DFO said.
The frequent deaths have caused panic among the villagers. Officials from the forest department have confirmed that these wild elephants often visit human-populated areas in search of sustenance. Subimal Kaunda, the assistant conservator of forest of Goalpara forest division, said, "Since people have already gathered their harvest, these jumbos are visiting the villages in search of food."
Previously, two persons, Rupali Ray (55) and Ranjan Ray (45) from Narayanpara village, were killed by the elephants. It was suspected that the villagers had teased the jumbos, which angered the animals.