RANCHI: A wild elephant that got separated from its herd has killed two more people on Sunday and injured one person in Gumla. The elephant has been on a rampage in Gumla and Simdega for the last three days, claiming four lives on Thursday and Friday.
The elephant is reportedly angry after being separated from its herd and has created chaos in the Bano region of Simdega and nearby areas in Gumla. The terror of wild elephants continued in Gumla on Sunday, leading to two more deaths.
In the latest attack, 45-year-old James Kujur was crushed to death on Sunday morning while collecting Mahua in the Derangdih Ambakona forests under the Raidih police station. In another incident, 73-year-old Climate Ekka was grabbed by the elephant’s tusk and slammed to the ground in his own courtyard in Jari Block, Gumla. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition but did not survive.
Additionally, 50-year-old Arvind Singh was injured when the elephant attacked him while he was defecating near his village. Both Singh and Ekka were taken to the primary health center in Dumri and later referred to Sadar Hospital, where Climate Ekka was declared dead.
According to forest department officials, the families of the deceased have been given immediate relief of Rs 10,000. “The remaining Rs 3.90 lakh will be given after the paperwork is completed,” said Ranger Jagdish Ram of Gumla Forest Division. He advised people not to set fires in the forest or go to collect Mahua while the elephant is still in the area.
The ranger said that the wild elephant, which has become aggressive after being separated from its herd, is roaming an area of 30-35 square kilometers. Due to the seriousness of the situation, several forest department teams are using loudspeakers to warn people in the local language about safety measures. People are being asked to stay away from the forest, especially in the early morning and late evening.
“The forest department is constantly alerting people with loudspeakers. The wild elephant has crushed five people to death within three days while more than three injured are undergoing treatment,” said a forest official.
Earlier, on Thursday and Friday, the same elephant killed four people in separate incidents in Gumla and Simdega. The victims were identified as 60-year-old Christopher Ekka and 35-year-old Hemvati Devi from Palkot, Gumla, and Sibiya Lugun and Vikas Ohdar from Bano, Simdega.
Meanwhile, people in Hazaribagh have been put on alert as a herd of ten elephants, including two baby elephants, is staying in the forests near the Rice Research Center close to the Sirsi-Shankarpur residential area. Their presence has disrupted daily life in the region, which also has two private schools.
Forest officials said this area was once an elephant corridor, and elephants have passed through it before. However, such a large herd has never been seen in an urban area in Hazaribagh. Officials mentioned that removing the elephants during the day would be difficult, so they plan to drive them out at night.