Ramgarh — Three people were trampled to death by a herd of wild elephants in the Gola block of Ramgarh district on Friday morning, sparking fear and anger among residents.
Two of the victims were brick kiln labourers, while the third was an elderly villager. The first incident occurred around 4 a.m. in Banda village, where Dheeraj Bhuiyan and Jugal Bhuiyan had stepped outside when a herd of elephants surrounded and fatally attacked them. Dheeraj was from Talatand in Patratu, while Jugal hailed from Kuju in Ramgarh.
In a separate incident in nearby Murpa village, 80-year-old Ramdev Shaw was killed when elephants attacked him while he had gone out early to collect mahua flowers.
Reports said the herd, comprising around 12 elephants, entered residential areas after moving in from forests in neighbouring Bokaro district. Officials from the Forest Department and police reached the spot after being alerted, and the bodies were sent for post-mortem examination.
Villagers criticised the Forest Department’s handling of the situation. Banda Panchayat Mukhiya Kuldeep Tiwari alleged that authorities had prior information about the elephants’ movement but failed to take preventive measures to keep them away from settlements.
Officials announced compensation of ₹4 lakh for each victim’s family. An immediate relief amount of ₹25,000 has been provided, while the remaining sum will be disbursed after administrative formalities are completed.
The incident highlights the growing human-elephant conflict in Jharkhand. Last week, three people were killed in a similar attack in Markacho. Official data indicates that more than 28 people have died in elephant-related incidents across the state over the past 50 days.
With inputs from IANS