Rampaging Elephant Leaves Trail of Death in Jharkhand’s Chaibasa, Five Killed in Three Days

Chaibasa: Panic has gripped the Goilkera block of West Singhbhum district in Jharkhand after a wild elephant went on a deadly rampage, killing five people in separate incidents over the past three days.

The most recent incident took place late on Monday night when the elephant attacked a family while they were asleep inside their house. Officials said the tusker began demolishing the home of Kundra Bahda, forcing the family to run for their lives. During the chaos, Kundra Bahda, his son Kodma Bahda and daughter Samu Bahda were trampled to death.

Another family member, Jingi Bahda, sustained severe head injuries while trying to escape. She was initially treated locally before being referred to Rourkela in neighbouring Odisha due to her critical condition.

On Sunday night, the elephant struck again in Bila Kundukocha village of the same block, killing 56-year-old Jonga Kui while she was asleep in her house. Her husband, Chandramohan Laguri, narrowly escaped the attack.

Earlier, on Friday night, a 13-year-old boy, Renga Kaiyam, was trampled to death while sleeping in a barn in a settlement near the Saiyatwa forest area close to Chaibasa.

Forest department officials said the elephant’s movement has been tracked in Goilkera and surrounding areas for several days. To control the situation, a 10-member expert team from West Bengal was deployed on Monday to drive the animal back into the forest.

Official data shows that 13 people have died in elephant attacks in West Singhbhum district in the last two months, with six deaths reported from Goilkera block alone. Encroachment on forest land and shrinking elephant habitats have led to frequent human-animal conflicts.

The repeated attacks have triggered fear and anger among villagers, who are demanding a permanent solution and speedy compensation for affected families.

With inputs from IANS