Bantala: Tension gripped Talagada Nuanbhuin Sahi village under this police limits in Angul district after a villager was trampled to death by a tusker Sunday.
The irked villagers who thronged the spot in hundreds attacked the police and forest department officials who had come to the spot to take stock of the situation. The angry mob even damaged two vehicles of the forest department.
According to sources, the deceased –30 years old Kalia Behera– had gone to Mirigei forest at the foot of Sumitra hills to graze his goats where he came face to face with a jumbo. The animal trampled him under its feet and went back into the jungle.
As the news was broke, the villagers rushed to the spot. Later, Bantala ranger Bindu Prasad Pradhan, two foresters, one forest guard, one watchman, Bantala assistant sub-inspector SB Themeria and some policemen reached the spot.
The irked villagers entered into a verbal duel with the officials and in no time it snowballed into a clash with the villagers attacking the officials and damaging two vehicles.
They kept the officials captive till arrival of extra police force from Angul.
Meanwhile, the body of the deceased was sent to a nearby government hospital for postmortem. Police said their investigation is on.
PNN