Villager trampled to death by elephant in Raigarh forest

Raipur: A 55-year-old villager was trampled to death by an elephant in Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh district while he had gone into the forest to collect firewood on Saturday. The deceased was identified as Malikram Banjara, a resident of Indkalo village in Dharamjaigarh forest division.

Officials said he had gone towards the Chhenapatra forest area on Friday to gather firewood but did not return home till late evening, prompting villagers to launch a search.His body was later found inside the forest, and preliminary investigation indicated that he was crushed to death by an elephant roaming in the area.The incident occurred in the Alola beat of Kapu range, where a lone elephant had strayed from neighbouring Surguja district and had been moving around for the past few days.

Forest department teams had been conducting public announcements in nearby villages, urging residents not to venture into the forest due to elephant movement.Soon after receiving information about the death, forest officials reached the spot and shifted the body to a hospital for postmortem. Officials said villagers in the region are repeatedly being sensitised about elephant presence, especially during evening and early morning hours, when the movement of jumbos increases.

Raigarh and adjoining forest divisions have witnessed a rise in elephant movement over the years, with frequent crop damage, house destruction and fatal attacks emerging as a major concern for both forest authorities and local residents.