Villagers protest in front of the district collectorate to protest against wild boar menace in sanctuary-side localities. Telegraph picture

Kendrapara, Nov 1: Boars and other wild animals frequently intrude into villages near Bhitarkanika wildlife sanctuary. The villagers took to the streets to protest against the administration’s failure to protect them from such attacks.

To make their grievance heard, angry villagers today demonstrated in front of the Kendrapara district collectorate.

They demanded that the administration should put an early end to incidents of wild animals straying into their villages and payment of ex gratia compensation to the bereaved family of the 62-year-old man who was killed in a boar attack on October 18.

The death of the villager had triggered violence and the Gahirmatha forest range office was burned down.

Later, police had arrested 23 persons from Sasanapeta village under Mahakalpada police station on charges of inciting violence.

“The police and forest personnel have let loose a reign of terror. They have registered false cases against almost all the men folk in the village. Fearing arrest, they have fled from the village. The violence was the handiwork of some outsiders and goons. Locals had no role to play in damaging government property,” said Gayadhar Dhal, who led the protesters.

He said that crops and agriculture fields were ravaged by ingress of tidal water and intrusion by wild boars. Latika Mandal, who had joined the protest, accused the forest personnel of remaining silent to the sufferings of the villagers.

A source in the administration said though man-and-animal conflict had triggered the violence, intensified vigil by forest personnel on illegal fishing, felling of trees and encroachment of forest land had also sparked the violence.

In the recent past, boars have been ravaging cultivation and this has been leading to incidents of man-human conflict.

Kendrapara sub-collector Pratap Chandra Mishra, said: “The administration is aware of the people’s grievances. An ex gratia compensation of Rs 2 lakh would be paid to the bereaved family very shortly. To curb incursion of wild animals, galvanised steel fencing is being installed along the villages on the sanctuary’s periphery.”