Panic after man trampled to death by elephants

Puri, Dec 21 (UNI) Panic gripped Chainpur Panchayat in Puri district after a farmer was trampled to death by a herd of elephants this morning.

According to a villager a herd of five elephants suddenly appeared in the paddy field and attacked Mangu and his bullock cart while he was loading paddy.

The workers in the field who ran for their lives later rushed injured Mangu to a nearby hospital at Jatani but he died on way to hospital.

Police arrived at the spot and sent the body for post mortem.

Police said the herd of elephant too attacked one Dhruba Behera of Ganjei Gurudi village.He was shifted to Delang hospital in a critical condition.

Police said deceased Mangu was a sammittee member of Chainpr Gram Panchayat.

The pachyderms also destroyed the paddy stock piled on the field.

The agitated farmers of the area have demanded a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the next of the kin of the victim besides employment to one member of the family and Rs 1 lakh to the injured person.

The farmers have also demanded compensation for the paddy damaged by the marauding elephants.

Assistant conservator of forest(ACF) Chittaranjan Mishra who rushed to the spot with his staff said the herd comprising three adults and a baby had sneaked into the village from Chandaka. They were later spotted in the Kumundal forest near the embankment of Daya river.

He said the wildlife officials were keeping a close vigil on the movement of the herd. The state government, he assured would pay Rs.1 lakh to the next kin of the deceased and provide free medical treatment to the injured person.

The wildlife officials had advised the residents not to venture to paddy fields located close to the Kumundal forest. A platoon of armed police has been deployed in the area.

This was the second such incident reported in the district during the year. Earlier, one Budhia Bhoi of Ramchandapur village was trampled to death by a wild tusker in March last.

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