BARIPADA: A 40-year-old man was trampled to death by a wild tusker in the Betnoti forest range on Tuesday night. He was identified as Srimant Hansdah of Dangarbila village under the Haldipal panchayat. Sources said the tusker entered the village in search of food and broke into Hansdah’s thatched house. On hearing the sound of the door breaking, Hansdah woke up from sleep and tried to escape. But the jumbo trampled him.
Villagers immediately informed forest officials following which two teams from Rasgobindpur and Betnoti rushed to the spot and chased away the elephant. The forest personnel then rushed a critically-injured Hansdah to Pandit Raghunath Murmu Medical College and Hospital where the doctor declared him brought dead. Range officer Ghanashyam Singh said the tusker had entered Betnoti range from Jharkhand seven days back.