JAJPUR: An elderly man was killed after being attacked by a stray bull at Deoda village within Dharmasala police limits here on Tuesday.The deceased, 65-year-old Alekh Chandra Mallick, was a farmer by profession. The incident took place when Alekh was working in his agriculture field.
Sources said chasing a cow, the stray black bull entered Alekh’s farmland. The farmer tried to scare the bull away with a stick. However, the animal turned aggressive and attacked him. Though some farmers working in nearby fields tried to shoo away the bull, it continued to attack Alekh, leaving him critically injured.
On being informed, Alekh’s family members reached the spot and rushed him to the Dharmasala CHC where the doctor declared him brought dead. Police seized the farmer’s body and sent it for postmortem. An unnatural death case was registered in this connection.
Villagers alleged that the stray black bull was wreaking havoc in the area for the last couple of months and has injured at least 15 people. Prasanna Kumar Pani, a local, said, “We have approached the local administration seeking an end to the stray bull menace. However, our pleas have fallen on deaf ears.”
Dharmasala IIC Tapan Kumar Nayak said until Tuesday, police were unaware of the stray bull menace as no formal complaint was lodged in this regard. “However, we will ask the forest officials to take steps to shift the bull from the area,” he added.