ROURKELA: Rourkela city reported its first human casualty from elephant attacks after an elderly man was trampled to death on Tuesday morning.
The incident took place at Kisantola of Hamirpur behind the Rourkela House within Sector-19 police limits. The elderly victim, Kudda Badaik, had gone to answer the call of nature near his house on the outskirts of Rourkela when he was trampled to death by an elephant.
The authorities of Rourkela forest division were reportedly taken aback when informed by locals about the incident. Field staff of Panposh forest range said they suspected the involvement of a single elephant who got separated from its herd present in Birmitrapur range. It might have crossed the Koel river before trampling the man to death. They further said the elephant might have moved towards Rampur forest area.
Hamirpur Unnayan Parishad president Suman Dutta said the elephant also damaged the enclosure of a fitness park and the boundary wall of Gyanajyoti public school. It was also seen moving near the bungalow of an executive director of Rourkela Steel Plant.
“The elephant’s presence in the locality filled the locals with fear. If adequate measures are not taken to prevent entry of elephants into the city, more lives will be lost in elephant attacks,” he added.
Regional Chief Conservator of Forest (RCCF) P Ramaswamy and Rourkela DFO Jaswant Sethi remained incommunicado and did not respond to calls for comment.
The incident comes close on the heels of another human casualty at Singer village of Tainsor panchayat in Lathika block under Kuanrmunda forest range when one Bishnu Tigga (58) was chased and killed by an elephant early in the morning on November 10.
In less than a month, five persons have died in elephants attacks in Rourkela forest division limits.