Elephant kills 16 in 12 days in Jharkhand; forest officials impose Section 144 in Ranchi

The elephant started its rampage in Hazaribah 12 days ago and subsequently, went through the districts of Ramgarh, Chatra, Lohardaga and Itki area of Ranchi.

Ranchi:At least 16 deaths owing to attacks by a rogue elephant have been reported from various districts of Jharkhand in the last 12 days, state forest officials said on Tuesday. Following the series of deaths, prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC have been imposed to prevent any further losses to life or property in the Itki block of Ranchi where the tusker is currently residing, sub-divisional officer, Ramesh Gupta said.

Speaking on the issue, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Chhattisgarh, Shashikar Samanta, said villagers have been directed not to venture out of their houses early in the morning as well as towards sunset. They have also been asked to not go close to any elephant, he stated. To manage the elephant, which is suspected to have killed 16 people in five different districts of Hazarinagh, Chatra, Ramgarh, Lohardaga, and Ranchi, the help of an expert team from West Bengal has been sought, Samanta further added.

According to reports, the jumbo killed five people in Hazaribagh 12 days ago, following which it entered Ramgarh, where it killed one person in the Gola area. It subsequently entered Chatra district next where another person fell prey to the tusker. In Lohardaga, it trampled to death four people, including three women, on Monday and another on Sunday. The animal entered Ranchi near Itki located 25 km from the city on Monday night and killed four more people, officials said.

"The tusker is being tracked continuously. Elephants, generally, take a fatal stand for a few reasons. Either it has become separated from the herd, or is doing this due to intoxication. However, it might display aggravated behaviour when faced with stone pelting or irritable activity by people. Currently, we are working on ways to integrate it with its herd. Tranquilisation will be the last option as elephants are big animals and regain consciousness quickly," PCCF Samanta pointed out.

Meanwhile, speaking about measures taken to ensure crowd prevention, Ranchi DFO Shrikant informed that a committee comprising forest officers from four divisions has been constituted to look into the issue. "A police force under a DSP-level officer has been sought for crowd control. Efforts are being made to shift the tusker, which moves at a speed of about 25 km/hour, towards the Lapung forest," he said.