Keonjhar: An elderly man was trampled to death by an elephant at Juangasahi area under Bansapal block in Telkoi forest range of Keonjhar district Sunday.
The deceased has been identified as Mukuru Nayak.
According to a source, Mukuru had gone to a field near his house Sunday morning where he came face to face with the jumbo. Before he could escape, the elephant caught him on its trunk, tossed into the air before trampling him to death.
As the news of the Mukuru’s death spread, angry villagers gathered and staged a protest. They held the forest department responsible for his death.
“Man-elephant conflicts are common in this part of the district. We have requested the forest department officials on several occasions to take steps to check the menace but to no avail,” they alleged.
On being informed, police and forest department officials reached the village and held a discussion with the protesting villagers. They assured them that the bereaved family will get compensation as per the government rule.
Registering a case, the police recovered the body and sent it for postmortem. A detailed probe is underway, it was learnt.
PNN