Deadly invasion

Nov. 27: Villagers in Teldhala had heard the same blood-curdling cries a year ago.

This time, it was Kanchi Marak. The cornered fifty-year-old could do little to save himself as rogue elephants trampled him to death in his village on Dalangiri hills under Mancachar police station last week.

In October last year, rampaging elephants killed four persons in the same village, located on the state’s border with Meghalaya. Months before that, four people, including a newborn, were trampled by a wild herd of five elephants on January 24. Eight persons were injured and 25 houses damaged in jumbo attacks last year.

Teldhala is under the jurisdiction of the Dhubri forest division. Till yesterday, nobody had claimed compensation for Marak’s death, Dhubri divisional forest officer H.R. Sarma said.

The herd also killed three buffaloes and damaged standing crops and property worth lakhs of rupees.

Forest division sources said Marak’s death was being investigated, adding that a detailed report has already been sought from the range officer.

“We can only forward the application for compensation if it is completed with requisite and supportive documents, including a post-mortem report. As soon as we get it, we shall forward it to the principal chief conservator of forests after getting it signed by the Dhubri deputy commissioner,” Sarma said.

Official sources clarified that the four persons killed by elephants in January were actually included under the Goalpara forest division.

“But the Goalpara forest division sought from its Dhubri counterpart, reports of only three persons injured by rogue elephants on January 24, for whom there is a compensation claim of Rs 27,000. Compensation for the four casualties was either included in Goalpara forest division or the victims could have been residents of Meghalaya’s West Garo Hills. We will write to Goalpara to seek information on it,” a forest official said.