A herd of wild elephants on a rampage killed a man and destroyed crops in Khowai district of Tripura. The forest department has deployed guards in the affected area in Kalyanpur, some 70km northeast of Agartala, to push the herd into forests.
Bhupendra Debbarma, 35, of Godaibari village in Kalyanpur police station limit died at the GB Panth hospital in Agartala where he was admitted after sustaining grave injuries in an attack by the elephants on Thursday. The tribal man was collecting firewood when the incident occurred. “We have engaged our men to drive away the elephants. Forest department is conducting a probe on the death of the villager and family of the deceased would be awarded financial assistance as per norms”, local Forest Ranger Lal Mohan Das told The Hindu over phone on Friday.
Khowai district has been witnessing rampages by affected elephants that go to berserk mainly during summer. Alarmed by frequent influx of wild elephants into villages for search of food, state forest department is implementing a central government aided scheme to create two elephant reserves.
