Amar Bahadur Chhetri, of Paschim Khayerkata village in the Nagrakata block of Jalpaiguri, died in an elephant attack on Sunday.
Sources said Chhetri and a few others were on their way to the neighbouring Nathua forest to graze cattle when they encountered a herd of elephants.
While the others managed to flee, 70-year-old Chhetri could not keep up with them and went missing.
In the afternoon, foresters, members of a quick response team and a local NGO launched a search.
On Monday morning, his body was found in the southern Diana forest.
A team from Banarhat police station sent the body for a post-mortem.
Foresters stated that despite repeated warnings against venturing into the jungle to stay safe, some villagers continue to graze cattle or collect firewood in
the forest.
They added that as per the government norm, Chhetri’s family will not receive any compensation since he died in the forest area.
“Let us reassert that entering the forest area is legally prohibited and can lead to fatalities. We will resume our safety campaign again through public announcements,” said Shyama Prasad Chakladar, the range officer of Nathua forest range.