ROURKELA: Frequent crop damage by elephants has sparked off revenge killing by villagers in Rourkela Forest Division. In the second such incident, an adult female elephant was killed by a group of villagers in Dubkupada village near Sonkhan connecting Hatidarsha Reserve Forest under the forest division.
Rourkela Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF) Dilip Sahu said one of the accused villagers, Harmon Kerketta (50), has been arrested. Harmon told the interrogators that he had electrocuted the elephant by charging his barbed wire fencing as the animal was frequently damaging crops in the area.
After killing the pachyderm, the villagers cut it into pieces and buried those inside the forest. However, apprehending trouble, they dug up the pieces and tried to set fire to those with wood, kerosene and petrol in the wee hours of Friday in order to erase evidence. On a tip-off, Harmon was arrested while others are absconding. Sahu said exact cause of death would be known from autopsy.
Forester Harisha Chandra Jena and forest guard Sabita Kishan have been placed under suspension for the incident. Rourkela DFO Sanjay Swain confirmed suspension of the two forest officials and said three teams are on the job to nab others involved in the incident. He said the carcass had not decomposed much and autopsy could be conducted.
On October 30, 2017, a sub-adult male elephant was brutally killed by villagers for damaging crops at Chhidakudar village of K Balang area under Banki Range of Rourkela Forest Division limits. Later, two villagers were arrested and 11 co-accused identified. The elephant was electrocuted and then shot with arrow shots.
Between October 21 and 31, two villagers were killed in separate elephant attacks at Kendukudar (Sonakhan) and Nuagaon areas of Rajgangpur range. As many as 15 persons have died in elephant attacks under the same forest division in the last 10 months.