Chhendipada: Two persons were killed in Patakamunda panchayat under Chhendipada police limits of Angul district after an elephant attacked them in two separate incidents in wee hours of Wednesday.
The deceased were identified as Kathia Panigrahi and Suhagi Sethi – both from Chandrapur village in the district.
According to a source, Suhagi had gone to Dhobadanda creek behind her house in the morning when she was attacked by a tusker and died on the spot in the mishap.
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Later, Kathia was confronted with the tusker at Debinali canal road while he was on his way riding a bicycle. The tusker picked up the man with its trunk and crushed him leading to his death, a villager said.
On other hand, the tragic deaths triggered tension in the village. The residents staged a roadblock demanding adequate compensation for the kins of the deceased persons.
On being informed, Bagadia outpost In-charge Ashish Kumar Das reached the spot with a police team and held discussions with the agitators. Police have assured the villagers of taking the matter to their departmental higher-ups.
Notably, residents are in panic as the tusker has been wandering near the village. They have appealed forest personnel to drive it away.
PNN