KALAIGAON, Dec 4 � In another tragic incident, one Joseph Munda (21) of village Nepalibasti near Nasonsali under Paneri Police Station was killed by a wild elephant in Gitibari area on December 2 taking the number of people killed by pachyderms so far this year to seven.
According to information available, Joseph along with a few others tried to chase away a herd of wild elephants damaging their paddy. It was not possible for three kunki elephants employed by WWF Tezpur office to push back hundreds of wild elephants coming down to plains in search of food.
Civil and forest officials rushed to the spot where they were confronted with people�s protest. Angry people blocked MB Road at Paneri for a few hours on November 3 demanding government action.
Rihon Daimari, MLA Udalguri; Bonjar Daimari, Deputy Speaker BTC; Bankim Sarma,DFO Dhansiri Forest Division and DN Hazarika, Circle Officer Harisinga Revenue Circle,Tangla visited Paneri along with other civil and forest officials to pacify the angry villagers.
When contacted the DFO told this correspondent that the herd of elephants would not be able to leave the place in the next 15 days with four newborn calves. The herd would leave only when the calves would become fit for a long journey back to the hills in Bhutan.
