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Wild elephant kills three family members in West Bengal’s Alipurduar district

Forest officials are mobilizing community squads to deter elephant incursions after residents blocked roads in protest

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Overview

  • The victims were 31-year-old Manoj Das, his 63-year-old mother Makhanrani Das and his one-month-old daughter Manisha Das, all killed on May 31.
  • A senior forest officer said the elephant strayed from Jaldapara National Park into the Kunjanagar area before trampling and thrashing the family.
  • Local residents blocked the Falakata-Kunjanagar Road for several hours demanding that the forest department implement stronger measures against elephant depredations.
  • The forest department plans to form rapid response squads involving villagers to ward off wild elephants and has advised people to keep a safe distance.
  • The attack underscores a broader human-elephant conflict across India, prompting a Rs47 crore mitigation plan in Madhya Pradesh and similar steps in other states