Bijoy Majhi, 32, died after being attacked by an elephant at Banmandanga-Tondu tea estate in the Nagrakata block of Jalpaiguri on Friday night.

A source said Bijoy, a resident of the Tondu division of the estate, had stepped out on an errand around 9pm when he came across a wild tusker. It is suspected to have entered the tea estate from the neighbouring forest area.

Bijoy tried to escape, but the elephant managed to grab him with its trunk, tossed him onto the ground and trampled him. The elephant returned to the forest shortly.

As the news spread, locals arrived, followed by a team from the Nagrakata police station and foresters from the Khunia and Diana
forest ranges.

The incident sparked protests in the area as residents alleged that the forest department was not doing enough to curb the depredation caused by elephants that often stray into the garden.

Police officers, however, managed to pacify them. They took Bijoy to the rural hospital in Sulkapara, where doctors pronounced him dead.

Foresters said they have increased vigilance in the tea estate. The deceased’s family would be compensated as per government rules, they added.

Scooterist hit

Bikas Pal, who was on a scooter, suffered multiple injuries after an unidentified vehicle hit him on Raja SC Mullick Road in Calcutta on Friday night.

A police source said the vehicle escaped. Pal has been admitted to a private hospital, the source added.

Building fire

A fire broke out on the first floor of a two-storeyed building at Posta’s Nawab Lane in Calcutta on Saturday morning. A police source said a fire tender extinguished the fire, and no one was injured. The cause and extent of the fire are yet to be ascertained.