Books and foodgrain strewn on school campus in Chowka after the tusker attack. Picture by Srinivas

Jamshedpur, July 17: Four sacks of rice, one of pulses and potato ration to last at least a month — that was precisely one night’s serve for 11.

A herd of hungry tuskers targeted a government middle school at Matkumdih village in adjoining Seraikela-Kharsawan district in the wee hours today.

Besides devouring foodgrain stocked for midday meal, they also damaged doors and windows of at least six classrooms. Two calves also took some lessons in tearing textbooks and dabbled in artwork, splashing and spilling paint meant to give the building of Utkarsh Madhya Vidyalaya a facelift.

However, the rampaging herd, for some unexplained reason, left a sack of rice untouched, thus enabling the school authorities to serve midday meal to about 350 children today. Though lunch was served, the children had to take lessons in the veranda because the classrooms were littered with torn textbooks and broken windowpanes.

Recalling the raid, Ganesh Singh Sardar, a local villager, said the herd first entered Pahidadih village near Matkumdih around 10.30pm.

“We came to know because a calf barged into the house of Pandu Mahto and crashed a television set in the children’s bedroom. It later attacked the school building,” said Sardar, Mahto’s next door neighbour.

Basudev Prasad, another villager, said: “Earlier, we spent nervous nights fearing Naxalite strikes. Now, we live in fear of tusker attacks. After nightfall, residents of over 40 villages in Basarda, Bansa and Matkumdih panchayat areas remain alert.”

Forest officials believe that the herd that razed two houses in Dhobatawa village in Chowka two days ago launched today’s attack.

Seraikela divisional forest officer A.T. Mishra said they were yet to ascertain from which forest the herd had come. “We have engaged forest officials to drive the animals away from villages,” he said, adding that they were exploring ways to push the herd back to its natural habitat.