11 Dead in 10 Days: ‘Erratic’ elephant herd is now terrorising Jharkhand districts

According to the Forest Department’s initial inputs and eyewitness accounts cited by the DFO, the elephants entered the village and raided a house where paddy had been stored. During the incident, residents came out of their homes and encountered the herd.

Six persons — Suman Kumari, 26, Dhaneshwar Ram, 52, Suraj Ram, 50, Savita Devi, 25, Anurag Ram, 1, and Sanjana Kumari, 3 — died in the incident.

With the latest deaths, the toll linked to the same herd has risen to 11 within ten days across Bokaro and Hazaribagh districts, according to official information. On February 5, the herd allegedly trampled three elderly members of the same family in Barkipunu village in Bokaro. Two days later, on February 7, it moved to Gangpur village in Bokaro, where two members of another family were killed.

The DFO said forest teams were present in the area and had been issuing appeals through miking, asking residents not to step out at night as efforts were being made to drive the herd back towards forest areas. He said a team from Bankura is currently stationed in Ramgarh and monitoring the herd’s movement.

He added that a team from Vantara is presently in Jamshedpur and the department will seek its assistance if needed. However, he said any decision on tranquilising or translocating the elephants would be taken only after assessing the herd’s profile and determining the cause of its behaviour, and in consultation with the PCCF (Wildlife).

On the possible cause of aggression, the DFO said it was too early to draw conclusions as no team member had seen the herd after the incident. He said the elephants could be in musth, a period that can last one to two months and is associated with increased aggression, but this is yet to be confirmed. “A monitoring team is being formed and another team will examine the reasons behind the incident,” he said.

The DFO said the department is seeking cooperation from the district administration to impose prohibitory measures in affected areas while the herd remains present, to minimise risk to human life.

He said initial assistance for last rites has been provided to the families and the process for compensation as per norms is underway. He also appealed to residents not to approach or attempt to chase the elephants and to remain indoors while the herd is in the vicinity.

Shubham Tigga is a Correspondent at The Indian Express, presently based in Pune, where he covers the intersections of infrastructure, labor, and the modern economy. His reporting focuses on civil aviation, urban mobility, the gig economy, and workers' unions, providing critical insights into how transit and commercial sectors impact the daily lives of citizens. Expertise & Background Before moving to Pune, he reported extensively from his home state of Chhattisgarh, where he focused on Indigenous (Adivasi) issues, environmental justice, and grassroots struggles in mainland India. This experience gives him a unique lens through which he analyzes the impact of large-scale infrastructure projects on local communities. Academic Foundation He is an alumnus of the prestigious Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), where he honed his skills in investigative reporting and ethical journalism. His academic training, combined with his field experience in Central India, allows him to navigate complex socio-economic landscapes with nuance and accuracy. You can reach out to him on LinkedIn ... Read More

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