RANCHI: A para-teacher was trampled to death by a herd of wild elephants at Guliadih village under Jantakhunti panchayat in Dhanbad’s Tundi block early Tuesday morning.
The deceased, identified as Grija Murmu(51), was an assistant teacher at the New Primary School in Guliadih. He died on the spot in the elephant attack, triggering grief and anger among villagers.
Villagers alleged that a herd of elephants had been roaming in the area for nearly two months and had repeatedly damaged crops and posed a threat to inhabited areas. They accused the Forest Department of failing to take effective measures to keep the elephants away from populated areas. “The elephants have been continuously damaging crops and posing a threat to inhabited areas. Despite being aware of the situation, no effective measures were taken by forest officials,” a local resident said, requesting anonymity.
Villagers also expressed resentment over the alleged delay in the arrival of administrative officials at the spot. They demanded the presence of the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), adequate compensation for the deceased’s family and concrete measures to protect residents from elephant attacks.
The agitated villagers staged a protest with the body at the spot for several hours, demanding immediate action to drive the elephant herd away from populated areas. They warned that similar incidents could occur if effective measures were not taken.
DFO Vikas Paliwal, however, said a Forest Department team had been dispatched to the area overnight and was present at the site. He urged villagers to prioritise their safety if elephants enter populated areas and refrain from approaching or attempting to drive them away.
The DFO also informed that the Forest Department team is currently working to move the herd away from the area. The death, however, has led to renewed questions among villagers about the effectiveness of the department’s measures to manage the ongoing human-elephant conflict.