HT Correspondent
DIBRUGARH, Nov 27: In a heartbreaking incident, a 12-year-old girl succumbed to fatal injuries after being trampled by a wild elephant in Assam’s Tinsukia district on Monday.
The incident occurred in Tinsukia’s Doomdooma area when the unsuspecting girl, returning home from a religious ceremony with her family, encountered the rogue elephant. The elephant, an adult male, charged at the girl, leaving her with no chance of escape.
Forest officials, alerted by the distraught family members, promptly rushed to the scene and transported the critically injured girl to a nearby hospital. Despite the medical team’s valiant efforts, the girl tragically succumbed to her wounds.
The incident sparked outrage among the villagers, who vehemently criticised the forest department’s failure to address the escalating man-elephant conflict. Doomdooma MLA Rupesh Gowala, who visited the site to assess the situation, expressed his deep concern.
“The negligence of the forest department has put our lives at risk,” remarked Gowala, holding the department accountable for the incident’s tragic outcome.
Mriganka Bora, the divisional forest officer of Tinsukia, acknowledged the department’s patrolling efforts in the area prior to the incident. However, he conceded that the elephant, acting independently of the herd, caught the family off guard.
“Our team had conducted patrols in the area on Saturday night,” Bora stated, “but the elephant, not part of a herd, caught the family unaware.”
The elephant’s emergence from the Duamara forest reserve underscores the urgency of the situation. Villagers have expressed their frustration with the forest department’s inability to prevent elephants from entering populated areas.
“The forest department must implement effective measures to keep elephants from straying into villages,” asserted a local resident.
As man-elephant conflicts intensify in Assam, the need for robust mitigation strategies becomes increasingly evident. The forest department must act swiftly to address this pressing issue and safeguard both human lives and wildlife.