Woman trampled to death by elephant, another injured in sloth bear attack

RAIPUR: A woman former sarpanch was trampled to death by an elephant when she had gone to collect Mahua at a village in Ramanujganj forest range of Balrampur district. The mutilated body of the woman was found in forest on Tuesday late.


Forest department officials said that there was a herd of nine elephants venturing in the forest.

The victim Kalavati Singh, 60, former sarpanch of Shivpur village, had gone to the forest of Chhinia with her husband Laxman Singh on Tuesday to collect Mahua. Laxman Singh returned at around 10 in the morning and Singh left after some time but Kalavati decided to stay till post noon.

When she didn’t return home till evening, her husband went to forest with other villagers and found her mutilated body. Forest department was informed and her body was seized for autopsy.

Villagers are shocked with the incident and they have been advised not to venture in forest as a loner tusker was moving aggressively.

Moreover, mahua collectors are often attacked by elephants as it’s the favourite fruit of pachyderms.

Another woman came under sloth bear attack in the Achanakmar tiger reserve in Mungeli district on Tuesday. She was admitted in injured condition at the hospital.

Forty-year-old Manmati Baiga had gone to Lamni range to collect Mahua when a sloth bear attacked her. She wasn’t aware about the animal advancing towards her as she was busy collecting forest produce. Listening to her screams, villagers ran to help her and saved her.