KUMUD JENAMANI
Jamshedpur, Dec 3: A 35-year-old youth was trampled to death by a wild tusker at Kukdu in Chandil sub-division under the adjoining Seraikela-Kharsawan district about 40 km away from here early on Sunday morning.
Victim was partially hearing impaired
Identified as Ganesh Kumar, the victim was a resident of Bakarkudi village in Kukdu block and fell victim to the tusker’s wrath while meeting nature’s call near his house.
Son of Banka Kumar, Ganesh was partially hearing impaired and might not have heard the pounding sound of the approaching tusker and when he did it was too late.
The elephant which trampled the youth to death was a lone tusker, parted way from a herd still present in the Kukdu block area.
Forest department negligent
Though the movement of a lone wild elephant near the human habitat is considered to be dangerous, the forest department was doing nothing to drive the animal away despite getting to know about its presence.
It was after only a villager was killed by the wandering lone tusker that a team of forest department officials reached the spot and assured the resentful villagers of the necessary steps to ward off the killer elephant.
The ranger of the Chandil forest range has, however, started the procedure to pay Rs 4 lakhs as compensation amount to the bereaved family of Banka Kumar.
It may be mentioned here that this is a migration season for the elephants and several herds of wild elephants are in migration mode in the Kolhan region, due to which danger looms large in the human habitats close to the forest areas. But unfortunately, the forest department is doing little to protect the life and property of the villagers.
