Chaibasa: A series of fatal elephant attacks has shaken the Goilkera block of Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district, where a rampaging wild elephant has killed five people in the last three days, leaving residents terrified.
The latest attack occurred on Monday night when the elephant broke into a house and attacked a sleeping family. According to officials, the animal destroyed the house of Kundra Bahda, prompting the occupants to flee. Kundra Bahda, his son Kodma Bahda and daughter Samu Bahda were crushed to death during the assault.
Another child, Jingi Bahda, suffered critical head injuries while escaping and was later shifted to Rourkela in Odisha after initial treatment.
On Sunday night, the elephant trampled 56-year-old Jonga Kui to death in Bila Kundukocha village while she was asleep. Her husband, Chandramohan Laguri, managed to escape unharmed.
The deadly spree began on Friday night when a 13-year-old boy, Renga Kaiyam, was killed while sleeping in a barn near the Saiyatwa forest area.
Forest officials confirmed that the tusker has been roaming in Goilkera and nearby regions for several days. A specialised team from West Bengal has been deployed to push the elephant back into the forest and prevent further casualties.
In the past two months alone, elephant attacks have claimed 13 lives in West Singhbhum, six of them from Goilkera block. Experts say growing human encroachment into forest areas has intensified man-elephant conflict.
Villagers have expressed deep resentment and fear, urging authorities to take lasting measures to curb elephant attacks and ensure prompt compensation to victims’ families.
With inputs from IANS