THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, September 6: A 50-year-old migrant worker identified as Shoukeen who had come to his in-law’s house at Kuru under Lohardaga district was trampled to death by an elephant. The deceased had come from Delhi where he used to eke out his living.
Lohardaga DFO Abhishek Kumar told the Jharkhand Story today, “The tragic incident took place on the intervening night of September 5/6.”
“A herd of around 20 elephants including a couple of elephant calves descended the village for paddy crop raid when there gathered a huge crowd of villagers shouting and blocking the path of the herd of the elephants,” added the DFO.
Villagers’ actions provoked the herd
The mob of villagers was shouting in a frenzy. They were throwing light on the eyes of the elephants. A few of them triggered high-sounding crackers, said Abhishek Kumar.
“It was more than enough to irritate the herd. One of the elephants gave a brutal retaliation and it caught this man among the mob and trampled him,” reiterated the DFO.
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However, the angry and agitated elephant did not calm down. It came again to the man whom he had flattened. It tortured the man who was already dead.
Forester-In-charge Bipin Kumar said, “The elephant dragged the dead Shoukeen for a few meters and again trampled him. It was sheer anger and revenge on the part of the elephant which wreaked on the already dead victim.”
Abhishek Kumar said, ” A bizarre situation breaks out when elephants appear. People surround it. They shout at it. Worse of all they block the passage of the herd. It makes elephants extremely aggressive and attacking. Here the herd did the same.”
Again, if the herd of elephants has calves then the herd is protective, possessive and aggressive, all for the safety of the calf or calves and elephants treat humans as a potential danger to the calf or calves, opined Abhishek Kumar.
Uncertain origins of the herd
The DFO said he would be bringing in a team from Gumla to shoo this herd of elephants from here.
The herd of elephants was roaming around over the last many days.
On being asked if the herd of elephants is of Chhattisgarh or PTR in Palamu, Abhishek Kumar said, “I can’t hazard a guess. Talk to Chhatisgarh and there it is said the elephants are of Jharkhand. West Bengal tells the same version. And back here we call raiding and destructing jumbos, not ours but of the other states.”
The DFO said, “I am very clear. I am to save the lives of people as well as wildlife. That’s all.”
Forester-in-charge Bipin Kumar said the body would be post-mortemed at the Sadar Hospital Lohardaga.
The Jharkhand government gives ex gratia relief to the tune of rupees 4 lakhs to the next of kin of the deceased in the event of death caused by an elephant or by any other wildlife like leopard, tiger etc.
