Tusker on the rampage kills villager, injures 4 in Bankura before being quelled with darts

A wild tusker went on the rampage from early this morning in the Joypur forest range in Bankura’s Bishnupur area, entering several villages and even marauding into homes, killing one person and injuring four others before it was quelled through tranquiliser darts.

According to the villagers, Vijay Koley (64), the deceased, was attacked unprovoked by the elephant at Routkhanda village in the Joypur range within the Panchet Forest Division in Bishnupur here. He was attacked on the village road by the plundering pachyderm when he had stepped out of his house. Vijay’s neighbour Ashis Ghosh said: “The tusker seemed agitated. It was running down the road, raising its trunk and trumpeting most of the way. It was behaving quite madly.”

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Besides Routhkhanda, the elephant raided neighbouring Kalaboni and Jamdigri villages. Foresters were summoned and, on arrival, they observed that the tusker was behaving quite aggressively and seemed traumatised. It entered Routhkhanda early this morning and seemed to be in a destructive mood. It crashed into a number of residential houses, knocking down fencings and walls and attacked the inhabitants. According to Bulti Ruidas, an injured villager, “It invaded our house breaking the wall and attacked me and my elderly father before we could escape.”

The Additional Divisional Forest Officer, Panchet Division, Virendra Kumar Sharma, said: “The elephant could be pacified after two consecutive tranquiliser shots. We will shift it to Kuilapal in Purulia, where it will be kept under observation for some days.” He added that the family of the deceased would be given compensation from the forest & wildlife department as per the norms laid out for such situations.

A 12-member herd of elephants has been spotted in Bankura, of which 10 were roaming near Bhavanipur in Radhanagar Range of Panchet Division and two were near Sukhbandh village in Barjora Range of Bankura (North) Division.