Elephant kills villager in Barnawapara, forest dept sounds alert in nearby villages

Raipur: A 55-year-old man was trampled to death by a tusker in Barnawapara wildlife sanctuary in Chhattisgarh’s Balodabazar-Bhatapara district on Sunday night, bringing the state’s expanding human-elephant conflict closer to the central region once again.

The incident took place at Dond village inside the sanctuary area. The deceased has been identified as Jahru Ram Netam, a resident of the village and came under attack suddenly after encountering an elephant on the way.

Forest officials said the tusker had been moving around the Murumdih belt for the past few days and was frequently being seen near farmlands and threshing areas. On Sunday, it entered the Dond area.

A team of forest personnel, Hathi Mitra Dal members and local residents were tracking the elephant and trying to steer it away from the populated area when the fatal attack took place. After the incident, the elephant moved through farm areas towards the forested hilly terrain.

Balodabazar divisional forest officer Dhammshil Ganveer said a forest team reached the spot soon after receiving information and sent the body for postmortem. Immediate relief of Rs 25,000 has been provided to Netam’s family, while the remaining compensation of Rs 5.75 lakh will be released after completion of formalities.

Following the attack, the forest department has issued a high alert in Dond, Mudpar, Surbay, Pandadah, Gudhagarh, Bhibhouri, Bafra, Bar, Hardi and adjoining villages.

Forest teams and Hathi Mitra Dal members are using village announcements and local alert systems to keep residents informed about the elephant’s movement. Villagers have been advised not to venture alone into forests, fields, hilly stretches or elephant-affected areas at night or early morning.

Ganveer appealed to residents not to provoke the elephant or attempt to go near it if sighted. “People must remain alert, follow forest department guidelines and immediately inform forest staff or Hathi Mitra Dal in case of any emergency,” he said.

Human-elephant conflict, once largely concentrated in northern Chhattisgarh districts such as Surguja, Raigarh, Korba, Surajpur, Jashpur and Balrampur, has gradually extended into parts of the central region over the past few years as elephant movement patterns have widened.