Villagers block Dimna- Patamda link after tuskers trample 40 year old man

Jamshedpur : A 40-year-old man was trampled to death by a herd of wild elephants at Dalma in Gerua village under Bodam police station area of Patamda. The victim identified as Ghasiram Murmu was on his way to Mango at about 5 am as he fell victim to the herd of killer tuskers.� His mutilated body was found lying on a road at Gerua village.�

Ghasiram used to work as a truck driver.� The victim had come out of his house at the dawn to attend his duty on time.

Within an hour of the news of the trampled death spread across the tribal belt in Patamda, over 200 villagers gathered at Gerua village and set up a blockade, stopping vehicular communication between Dimna and Patamda.� The protestors were demanding adequate complensation to the bereaved family members.�

After the agitation, the forest department paid Rs 20,000 to the victim’s wife Maheswari Murmu and would pay additional Rs 2.3 lakh shortly.

Rampaging herds of tuskers in the villages near NH 33 West Singhbhum and Seraikela Kharsawan district are forcing innocent tribal to spend sleepless nights.

In an area that boasts of a forest cover of 30 percent, the human-animal conflict is major concern of the people. In past one month cases of elephant�s regularly damaging standing crops and attacking villagers have shot up.
In many villages, people are forced to spend their nights on trees in fear. Some even light fires and drumming up traditional instruments to keep tuskers at bay.

People are in state of havoc due to such menace. Sometimes villagers migrate to safer places for a week or more to avoid the sudden night-time attacks of the wild elephant herds.

�We are forced to spend sleepless nights. Our lives are at risk due to rampaging elephants. Elephants regularly venture into villages, destroy houses, damage standing crops and even trample people to death. We are forced to work like a �night guard� to save our lives and crops� said Ramesh Munda of Jhinkpani.

He said that rampaging elephants are a cause of concern. Some measures have been adopted and there is need to do more to protect the people.

The farmers have been asked to inform the nearest range office in case of crop raiding so that special teams will be deputed to drive the elephants into the deep jungle.

People are in state of havoc due to such menace. Sometimes villagers migrate to safer places for a week or more to avoid the sudden night-time attacks of the wild elephant herds.