Wild run of death & plunder

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Link:

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1051114/asp/ranchi/story_5473809.asp

 

Wild run of death & plunder

OUR CORRESPONDENT

Ranchi, Nov. 13: An elephant separated from its herd went on the

rampage in Gumla district early today, trampling to death four

persons and mowing down several houses in a wild run that lasted

more than three hours.

 

The elephant entered two villages — Samshera and Kamalpur — 10 km

apart, a little after midnight, as it wandered away from its group.

 

Samshera village saw the first attack around 12.30 am. One Ajit

Kujur (18) had gone to bring back his cows grazing in a nearby field

when the elephant, a tusker, spotted him. Kujur was caught, flung to

the ground and then crushed to death.

 

After this, the elephant raided Kamalpur, which bore the brunt of

the pachyderm's wrath. " According to the villagers, the elephant

entered the village around 3.45 in the morning. Some of the

villagers were already awake and were getting ready to leave for

their respective fields. The elephant killed three people on the

spot and, still not satisfied, smashed several thatched houses. The

terrorised villagers ran for cover as the tusker roamed the village

for almost an hour, " said an official of the Bharno police station

in Gumla.

 

Those killed by the elephant in Kamalpur have been identified as

Mangra Oraon (33), Bhinsaria Devi (46) and Poko Orain (19). Two

others who were seriously injured have been sent to RIMS, where

their condition remains critical.

 

The elephant then left the area and wandered into the nearby

forests.

 

Sources in Gumla said district forest officials were aware that a

herd was roaming in and around the Simdega-Gumla region and that

there could be a possible attack on the villagers living on the

outskirts of the forest.

 

Chief wildlife warden U.R Biswas said: " We do not have the full

details about the incident. We have informed the forest officials

there and they are on high alert. The elephant herd is being traced.

We are not sure whether it was the job of just one elephant or a

herd. But if it is the job of a single elephant, we are pretty sure

it is not the same tusker that killed two people last month. "

 

" Gumla has got more than 700 elephants and it would be very

difficult to identify the killer tusker at present. The officials

there are doing their job, " he added.

 

The sources, however, pointed out that the department had full and

perfect knowledge about the presence of an elephant herd. The

officials in Gumla were warned that the villages were at risk and

that they should keep a close watch on elephant movement.

 

Gumla forest officials refused to make any comments about the

operations. Biswas, though, added that an elephant attack in the

district was a rare one and he had instructed the officials to train

the people in the high-risk villages to tackle the elephant menace.

 

" Such an attack in the district is rare. The villages now need to

know how to tackle a possible elephant attack, " he said.

 

Following the killing of two persons last month, the forest

officials had branded the elephant " rogue " and had ordered its

killing. But the animal retreated into the dense forests and the

order was cancelled.