DHENKANAL: A 30-year-old man was trampled to death by a tusker in Hindol forest range here on Monday. The deceased was identified as Jitendra Sahu of Gulehi village under Karnapur beat.
Divisional forest officer (DFO) Lalit Kumar Patra said forest authorities had warned villagers not to venture into the forests due to presence of an elephant herd. Without paying heed to the warning, Jitendra went to the nearby Baguda cashew orchard and encountered a tusker at about 12.30 pm. The elephant attacked Patra, leaving him critically injured. Villagers rushed him to the nearby hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
Following the incident, irate locals blocked the old Cuttack-Sambalpur road demanding adequate compensation for the bereaved family and measures to curb elephant-human conflict in the region.
The blockade was lifted after forest authorities assured to pay compensation to Patra’s family as per government norms.
Balimi police seized the body for postmortem. Police have registered a case of unnatural death and further investigation is underway.