Jamshedpur: QRT member killed in elephant attack near Bengal Border

Jamshedpur: In a tragic turn of events, a Quick Response Team (QRT) member lost his life in the early hours of Thursday when he was attacked by a tusker in a jungle near the Baharagora Thana area. The victim, identified as Bablu Baske (47), was a resident of Dubukhana village in the Bankuda district of West Bengal.

The incident occurred in a forest stretch along Lodhanbani village in Sendra panchayat, situated in the Baharagora block near the Bengal border, past midnight. The QRT, comprising 15 members, had been deployed in response to an alert from residents of Lodhanbani village who had reported the presence of wild elephants in the vicinity.

As the QRT, including Bablu Baske, conducted a search for the elephants using torches, ‘mashals,’ and crackers, a massive tusker suddenly emerged and attacked the team. The tusker’s sudden aggression resulted in one member, Bablu Baske, being trampled. The killer tusker quickly fled the scene, leaving the rest of the QRT to rescue the critically injured member.

Despite immediate efforts to transport Bablu Baske to the Baharagora Community Health Center, he was declared brought dead by the attending doctor. The police later seized the body and sent it to the Ghatsila sub-divisional hospital for postmortem.

In response to the tragic incident, the forest department dispatched a team to the location. Officials from the forest department reached out to Bablu Baske’s family, expressing condolences and assuring them that the process for compensation would be initiated promptly.

Adding to the community’s distress, the same killer elephant reappeared from the jungle on Thursday afternoon, causing fear among the villagers. Demands have arisen from the local community for the forest department to take immediate action to drive the tusker away from the region, ensuring the safety of residents. The incident highlights the challenges faced by both wildlife and communities living in proximity, prompting calls for enhanced measures to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts.