Two Villagers Trampled to Death by Wild Elephant in Odisha’s Khurda District: Krushna Chandra Pradhan (65) and Laxmidhar Behera (70) Identified as Deceased

Two villagers in Odisha’s Khurda district were trampled to death by a wild elephant, according to local police. The tragic incident occurred in Jaritapur village in Tangi forest range late on Sunday. The victims have been identified as Krushna Chandra Pradhan, aged 65, and Laxmidhar Behera, aged 70. Their bodies were discovered by locals on Monday morning.

The unfortunate incident took place when the deceased had gone to their paddy fields to monitor their crops. They encountered the elephant destroying their crops and attempted to ward it off. However, their efforts proved futile as the enraged animal trampled them to death, as confirmed by a police officer.

Following the incident, angry locals have demanded proper compensation for the families of the deceased and better protection of their harvest from wild elephants. Sarpanch Madhusudan Palai, the head of the village council, highlighted that the majority of the area’s population depends on agriculture for their livelihood. He expressed concern over the regular destruction of crops by wild elephants and called upon the forest department to take effective measures to prevent such incidents.

Forest officials have already arrived at the scene and initiated an investigation into the incident. The authorities are examining the circumstances that led to the tragic deaths and exploring strategies to prevent such human-elephant conflicts in the future.

It is worth noting that incidents involving wild elephants damaging agricultural fields and causing harm to humans are not uncommon in this region. The villagers, who rely heavily on farming, face recurring challenges due to the encroachment of elephants on their farmlands.

This news article has been sourced from the Press Trust of India (PTI). ThePrint does not hold any responsibility for the content provided.