Kendrapara: In a man-animal conflict another life was lost in Kendrapara district when a 55-year-old man from Diniari village in Kolidiha GP was killed by a crocodile. The deceased, Bijay Patra, was the brother of a DSP who has been officiating in Keonjhar police district, said Maheswar Sethy, IIC of Aul police station.
According to locals, Bijay Patra, who did not have a family, Wednesday went to graze cattle on the bank of the crocodile-infested Brahmani river. Later, he went missing. Though, the villagers and his family made a frantic search in vain.
Wednesday, locals suspected crocodiles might have dragged him into the river, while he was roaming near the river bank. The locals started a search but failed to trace the body of Bijay in the river. Thursday, the locals informed the local fire service personnel. The search was later organised by fire personnel in the Brahmani. But on Thursday afternoon, a portion of the leg of Bijay Patra was fished out from the river near Matia Mangala under Rajnagar police station. But the other parts of the body are yet to be retrieved. The family later identified the leg of Bijay Patra and cremated it Thursday.
The family said that Bijay was killed in crocodile attack. When contacted Amareshnath Pradhan, the Ranger of Rajnagar forest Range, stated that the matter has come to his notice. He has sent Aul foresters to conduct an inquiry by visiting the deceased’s house. The family neither lodged a missing FIR at the police station nor conducted autopsy. The family would not get compensation as no FIR was lodged at the police station and as the forest department could not confirm the doctor’s report about the person dying in a crocodile attack.
Meanwhile, forest personnel also contacted the Aul police station, informed Pradhan, the anger.
It may be noted here that a 30-year-old youth, Kenaram Mandal, of Bada Tubi village in Batighar GP sustained injuries after he was attacked by an estuarine crocodile while he was fishing in the Kharanashi river. The presence of mind showed by a couple of women of the fishermen community saved the life of Kenaram Mandal.
Crocodiles tend to become violent during the nesting period, so forest officials have asked riverside villagers not to enter water bodies where crocodiles have been seen. The forest personnel also asked villagers to inform forest personnel if they sight crocodiles in the rivers.
PNN