The injured elephant in Jorhat district on Friday. Picture by Eastern Projections

Guwahati, Nov. 23: Residents of an elephant-ravaged village in Jorhat today attacked not only the herd that was tormenting them, but also the forest guards who allegedly pushed the beasts into their area while trying to chase them away.

The “war” began last evening when villagers at Amlokhichiga attacked the herd with bows and arrows, injuring one last evening. An elephant was today spotted limping in nearby fields.

The attack on the herd was followed by attacks on forest personnel at Lahkar village.

Last evening’s incident, in fact, was the latest in a series of attacks on forest personnel.

A portable generator used by the forest personnel was thrown into the Brahmaputra by the angry villagers on Wednesday evening at Hatisal Mising Gaon.

“It is no longer a man-elephant conflict. It is man-man conflict with villagers attacking our guards for chasing elephants towards their settlement,” said Gunin Saikia, assistant forest conservator of Jorhat district.

With human settlements on all sides, the elephants find no place to run and return to attack the villagers.

When the herd is chased from one end, it attacks villages at the other end. “We are totally helpless. Now our guards have declined to go out on duty as the villagers are attacking them,” the official said.

The herd of about 110 elephants has been roaming in the villages on the bank of the Brahmaputra in Jorhat for the last few weeks, damaging crops and vegetables.

A hapless forest department has sought help from experts in Kamrup district after several attempts to chase away the herd failed.

The experts, on their part, are busy finding long-term measures to reduce the man-elephant conflict in the area.