Nilagiri: Alleging inadequate measures from the forest department to prevent the entry of elephants into human habitations, villagers of Hatimunda under Nilagiri block in Balasore district thrashed six forest personnel including a ranger and ransacked two vehicles of the department Friday night.
The police have booked a case against 12 persons for the attack. The irate villagers armed with wooden planks allegedly attacked the forest personnel and damaged their vehicles. The forest officials injured in the attack were Ganesh Prasad Lenka, Umakant Jena, Kishore Chandra Bhuyan, Manoranjan Singh, Dushmant Jena, and Jaydev Mallick.
“We were guarding the village when around 60 to 70 villagers came and manhandled us alleging that we are not guarding their crop fields,” said a forester.
After getting information, the police reached the spot and pacified the irate mob following which normalcy was restored.
Meanwhile, assistant conservator of forests Laxman Pradhan said the elephants will only be driven away after police take action against the villagers.
More elephants from Jharkhand entered Nilagiri area and unleashed a reign of terror Friday.
Solar fences and even trenches have failed to keep the jumbos out of human habitations, forcing the people in some areas to take shelter in treetop houses.
Some people have already left their homes due to fear, while in some places people are lighting torches throughout the night to ward off the marauding elephants.
Besides, the energy department, which was concerned about the safety of animals, had to shut down power transmissions frequently, leaving the nearby villages in dark.
The forest department has warned that driving out animals will be halted unless the accused villagers were arrested.
On the other hand, villagers were angry as they were booked by the police. They warned of an agitation in case of action.
To sort out the issue, a delegation of villagers, forest officials and the administration held a meeting at Hatimunda primary school Saturday afternoon.
The villagers said they would cooperate with the forest department in the latter’s effort to drive the jumbos out of human habitations.
PNN