KUMUD JENAMANI
Jamshedpur, Jan 5: The wild elephant which had fallen into a deep dry well in Chandil sub-division in the adjoining Seraikela-Kharsawan district late on Wednesday night, died while being rescued by the forest department on Friday afternoon.
The elephant which was in its adolescent age died after languishing in the deep dry well in dire condition for about 40 hours without food and water though the forest department tried to rescue the elephant having dug a trench-like slope.
Villagers blame forest department
Soon after the news of the elephant’s death spread in the village, a large number of villagers rushed to the spot and vented their ire against the forest department officials present there.
Many of the empathetic villagers claimed that it was the team of forest department officials who is responsible for the elephant’s death, claiming that the rescue operation was being carried out half-heartedly.
Also Read- Jharkhand: BJP, JMM locked in legal battle over holding by-poll in Gandey
Elephant died during lifting
Significantly, the forest officials had tried to lift the elephant up by tying it with ropes even before the digging work for the slope was yet to be completed. It was during the act of lifting, the elephant died, apparently due to pressure.
The digging work was being carried out by means of two excavators and tractors by an apparently committed team of forest officials, though the team failed to provide food and water to the elephant while it was lying in the well.
Fell into well on Wednesday
The elephant was one from a herd of 16 migratory elephants which had strayed into the human habitat in Nimdih block in the Chandil forest range area on Wednesday. The elephant fell into the well while a team of elephant drivers was trying to drive the herd away from the village.
According to sources, though the drivers’ team had succeeded in driving the herd away for some time, the herd had returned to the village and had been watching the rescue operation restlessly by staying at a little distance from the killer well until the victim elephant was not brought out dead.
The forest department will carry out an autopsy of the caracas on Saturday.
Also Read- Jharkhand: Ranchi court hears Dhoni’s case against friend for Rs 15 crore fraud
