Ramgarh (Jharkhand), April 3 – Three people were killed by a herd of wild elephants in the Gola block of Ramgarh district, Jharkhand, on Friday morning, causing fear and anger among local residents.
The victims include two brick kiln workers and an elderly villager.
The first incident occurred around 4 a.m. in Banda village, where Dheeraj Bhuiyan and Jugal Bhuiyan were attacked and fatally injured when a herd of elephants surrounded them. Dheeraj was from Talatand in Patratu, while Jugal was from Kuju in Ramgarh.
In a separate incident in nearby Murpa village, 80-year-old Ramdev Shaw was killed when elephants attacked him while he was collecting Mahua flowers.
According to reports, the herd, consisting of around 12 elephants, entered the residential areas of Ramgarh after moving in from the forests of neighbouring Bokaro district.
Forest Department officials and police reached the scene after being alerted, and the bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination.
Villagers questioned the Forest Department's effectiveness in handling the situation. Banda Panchayat Mukhiya Kuldeep Tiwari accused officials of negligence. He claimed that authorities were aware of the elephants' movement but failed to take preventive measures to keep them away from human settlements.
Officials said that compensation of Rs 4 lakh will be provided to the families of each deceased, and the process for immediate relief has been initiated. A portion of the compensation, Rs 25,000, was provided immediately, and the remaining amount will be disbursed later after the administrative formalities are completed.
The incident highlights the growing human-elephant conflict in Jharkhand. Just last week, three people were killed in a similar attack in Markacho, Koderma. Official data indicates that more than 28 people have died in elephant-related incidents across the state in the past 50 days.