A 27-year-old farmer from Assam’s Tamulpur district was trampled to death by an elephant on Saturday after he accidentally came in front of a herd, forest department officials said.
The deceased, identified as Rijoy Dey, an areca nut farmer, was a resident of Chandranagar area in Kauli, Tamulpur district near the Indo-Bhutan border.
According to forest department officials, the incident occurred in Cowli area around 1 am when Dey was returning home from the local market.
“There was a herd of elephants roaming in the area, and locals said that the victim accidentally came across them and was trampled to death on the spot by one of the elephants,” an official said.
Local residents claimed that Dey tried to escape but heavy rain prevented him from running. They also claimed that after killing Dey, the elephant entered a nearby residential area and damaged several houses.
Local residents said: “We ran from our homes to save ourselves from the angry fang, but it destroyed our homes, trees and everything.”
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Residents claim that although elephant movement in the area is not new, no permanent solution has been found to the recurring human-elephant conflict.
Local residents said: “During the harvest season, elephants enter the area in search of food and usually return before the rains intensify. But sometimes they stay, and we are facing this situation this year. We are afraid, and no one knows who the next victim will be.”
In recent years, Tamulpur and neighboring areas along the Bhutan border have witnessed multiple deaths of both humans and elephants, indicating a sharp rise in human-wildlife conflict.
In October and November last year, four elephants were electrocuted in the area. Forest officials said locals used live electrical wires to prevent elephants from entering farming areas.
According to officials, several individuals were arrested for illegal use of electrical wires. However, locals blamed the forest department and the department for failing to provide adequate protection from wild elephants.
