DHENKANAL: Two farmers were killed in separate incidents of elephant attack in Dhenkanal forest division in the last two days.
On Saturday night, 50-year-old Sridhar Dehury was trampled to death in Dalar village under Sadangi forest range within Gondia police limits. The incident took place at around 10 pm.
Sources said after being informed about the presence of a tusker near the village, Sridhar went to his paddy field to inspect the crop. When he reached his field, the lone tusker reportedly attacked him. Sridhar suffered grievous injuries and was rushed to the district headquarters hospital. However, he was declared dead by the doctors, said ranger Rakesh Dalai.
The ranger said the tusker is part of a herd of 22 elephants which was roaming in the region. After being separated from its herd, it is wandering into human habitations and destroying crops. Villagers have been warned not to venture into paddy fields in the night. However, they are not paying heed to the warning, he added.
Similarly, a 35-year-old farmer was killed by a tusker in Karnapur beat of Hindol forest range on Friday night. The deceased is Sanjay Bhoi of Nandeilo village under Balimi police limits. Sanjay reportedly went to his paddy field to inspect the crop at around 8 pm when the elephant crushed him to death.
Ranger Trilochan Dehury said Rs 1 lakh compensation has been provided to Sanjay’s family. The rest amount will be released after completion of official formalities. He added that efforts were underway to drive the tusker to the forest.