BERHAMPUR: A 51-year-old woman died in an elephant attack near her home under Raj Jankia gram panchayat in Nayagarh district, police said on Wednesday. Her death brings to fore human-elephant conflict in Gopalpur forest beat under Ranpur forest range.
A lone elephant, which has been creating havoc in the area for the past few days, reportedly trampled Manju Jena of Ostapada village when she had stepped out of her home to visit a temple early on Tuesday morning.
Jena is the second person to die in an elephant attack in the area within a fortnight. Earlier, a woman from Mayurajhalia Hariharpur village, Mamata, was killed near a temple.
Chandpur police station inspector Abhaya Behera reached the spot of Jena’s death for investigation. Tension prevailed in the area as angry villagers demanded the presence of the district collector and the divisional forest officer at the spot. The villagers sought immediate measures to prevent elephant incursions into human habitations and adequate compensation for the bereaved family.