Chhattisgarh: Two elephants died of electrocution in Raigarh river, two held

RAIPUR: Two elephants were found dead and their carcass floating in a river in Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh district on Wednesday evening, prompting a forest department probe into yet another elephant fatality in the region, where five such deaths have been reported in the past four months.

What was first suspected to be an accidental death in a river crossing turned into a wildlife crime case, with the forest department arresting two men for the electrocution deaths of two elephants. The breakthrough came after an intensive probe into the deaths at compartment number 1273 in the Kurkut river, triggering concern in a district that has already seen a string of elephant fatalities in recent months. Forest officials said the case initially posed a challenge as the carcasses were found in a riverine stretch, making it difficult to immediately determine the cause of death.

But treating the incident as suspicious, senior officers ordered a detailed investigation. Acting on the instructions of Raigarh divisional forest officer Arvind PM, a team led by sub-divisional officer Ashutosh Mandawa and Gharghoda in-charge range officer Vikrant Singh carried out sustained questioning and field investigation, following which two accused were arrested. They were identified as Ramkumar Rathia, 55, and Dharam Singh Rathia, 38, both residents of Paka Darha village.

A third accused was at large and being searched for. During the investigation, officials found that the accused had installed a motor pump in the river for irrigation in their fields. Forest department said electric current spread into the water, and the two elephants came in contact with it and died about three days before their carcass were recovered. The department has seized material allegedly used in the crime, including a solar panel, wires, battery, fencing wire and water pipe.

A case has been registered under the Wildlife Protection Act and further action is under way. The arrested men are to be produced before a court on Friday. When the carcasses were first spotted, officials had said the animals may have died after getting trapped in slush or while bathing or attempting to cross the river, and had awaited post-mortem findings before drawing conclusions. About a year ago, three elephants were found dead together in the Chuhkimar plantation area of Bakchaba beat in Tamnar range.

That case was later traced to electrocution from an 11 kV live wire, following which the concerned circle in-charge and beat guard were suspended. The latest case comes amid a wider worrying trend in the state. In a recent reply in the Chhattisgarh assembly, the government said 38 elephants had died in the state between 2023 and 2026 so far, along with 562 cases of unnatural deaths of other wildlife..