Chaibasa: A shocking incident from the Tonto police station area of West Singhbhum district has triggered alarm within the Forest Department and across the region. A fierce fight between two male elephants over dominance near Sagarkatta and Ronmara villages resulted in the death of one tusker on the spot late Tuesday night.
According to forest officials, the incident occurred when two male elephants, separated from a larger herd roaming in the Jhinkpani police station area, engaged in a violent clash. The intense fight proved fatal for one elephant, whose body was later found in the forest zone.
The case took a serious turn when forest officials discovered that one broken tusk of the dead elephant was missing from the site. While the Forest Department stated that tusks can naturally break during such fights, the disappearance of the tusk has raised strong suspicions of illegal activity. Possibilities being probed include elephant tusk smuggling, local theft and the involvement of organised external smuggling gangs. Although poaching has not yet been officially confirmed, investigations are underway from all angles.
Chaibasa Forest Divisional Officer Aditya Narayan personally visited the spot along with a special team. The department has initiated questioning of nearby villagers, intensified forest patrolling and stepped up monitoring of elephant movement using drones and tracking devices.
Meanwhile, tension spread to nearby areas as a herd of elephants moved onto the railway tracks near Jhinkpani on the Chaibasa–Dangwaposi railway line. Rail traffic was disrupted for nearly an hour, causing inconvenience to passengers. Forest officials later managed to safely guide the elephants away and clear the tracks.
Following the incident and the missing tusk, a high alert has been issued across the forest division. Officials reiterated that the safety of both wildlife and villagers remains the top priority and warned that any form of poaching or illegal activity will be dealt with strictly.
