Berhampur, March 30: Tension prevailed at Rambha under Ganjam block area as marauding elephants trampled farmer Rabindra Kumar Behera to death. Irate villagers resorted to blocking national highway at Rambha.

A herd of three pachyderms trampled Rabindra Kumar last evening after entering Biruligada village under Rambha police station in Ganjam. The elephants attacked Rabindra Kumar near a canal when he was returning from the agricultural field about 7pm.

“The elephants suddenly appeared from the jungle and trampled him,” said two farmers Sudam and Kandha Sethi who were following him. Both of them ran away from the spot and narrowly escaped. The villagers immediately took Rabindra to Rambha Hospital but he succumbed to his injuries on the way,” said hospital sources. Angered by the death, more than 1,000 villagers of Biruligada, Rambha and the nearby areas resorted to blockade of the National Highway-5 at Rambha.

“The irate villagers were of the opinion that the Operation Gajanan which was launched by the forest department to chase away 25 pachyderms from Ganjam and Khallikote blocks in Ganjam district to the Chandaka forest six months ago has failed,” said chairman of the Ganjam block Surath Pahana.