Protests Erupt in Jalpaiguri After Elephant Attack Kills 65-Year-Old Man

Tuesday morning demonstrations broke out in the village of Jalpaiguri after a 65-year-old man was attacked by an elephant. The incident occurred even before foresters arrived.

A few irate female protestors even attempted to take a forest guard's gun.

According to sources, a wild elephant that had wandered into the area chased Kulbahadur Thapa, a resident of Upper Kalabari village in Nagrakata block, as he left his home. When Thapa attempted to flee, the elephant threw him to the ground and wrapped its trunk over him. Thapa passed away instantly.

Then the animal moved on. Locals turned to protests as word got out. "Elephant attacks have claimed the lives of three people in our neighborhood in the last twenty days. However, a protestor said that "the forest department has done nothing to stop elephants from entering the village."

The protests got more intense when a team from the Nagrakata police station and foresters rushed to the scene. Abruptly, a group of ladies attempted to steal a forest guard's firearm. According to accounts, other villagers and foresters intervened to calm the women down.

Locals let the police retrieve the body and send it for a post-mortem after nearly two hours. "We will launch a movement if the forest department does nothing to prevent elephant depredation in our area," stated a peasant.

Gaur assault

Nabakanta Roy, 65, was gored with an Indian bison's horns on Tuesday after the animal wandered into the hamlet of Garkhunta in the Dhupguri block of the district from the Sonakhali forest. Roy had brought his cattle to a field for grazing. His shouts awakened others, who rushed him to Dhupguri's rural hospital. According to accounts, the gaur returned to the forest.