Assam forest staff killed in attack by wild elephant, three injured

Representational images. Pic/iStock

A Forest Department was killed and three others injured in a confrontation with wild elephants in Assam's Jorhat district, officials said on Friday.

The deceased officer Atul Kalita worked for the Mariani Forest Range.

Divisional Forest Officer of Jorhat, Nandha Kumar told IANS that the incident occurred when a group of forest workers arrived in Bijoy Nagar, a neighborhood in Jorhat's Titabor, with the goal of chasing away a herd of elephants that had wreaked havoc on Thursday night.

When the forest team tried to push back the herd of elephants into the forest, one jumbo came back and launched an attack on the forest personnel, he said.

"Unfortunately, Atul Kalita got stuck and could not escape. He was killed by the wild elephant," the official said.

He said three forest staffers also suffered minor injuries and were sent to the Jorhat Medical College and Hospital (JMCH).

"Our forest staff generally engage with the people to push back the wild elephants when they come out of the forest in search of food. The deceased Atul Kalita was an experienced staffer but unfortunately, he got killed," the DFO added.

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