Elephants trample man to death in Jharkhand's Ramgarh

Ramgarh, Aug 29 (PTI) A herd of elephants on Friday trampled a 52-year-old man to death on the state highway connecting the famous Rajrappa Temple in Jharkhand's Ramgarh district, a forest official said.

The incident has triggered fear among devotees visiting the temple, according to the official.

The victim, identified as Mustaq Ansari, was a resident of Murpa village under Gola Police Station.

Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Ramgarh, Nitish Kumar, told PTI that a human-elephant conflict occurred near Janiyamara on the Chitarpur-Rajrappa Temple state highway.

The forest near Rajrappa Temple lies within a designated elephant corridor, where movement of the pachyderms is frequently observed.

Following the incident, angry villagers blocked the highway for several hours, demanding compensation for the victim's family and the installation of street lights along the highway to improve visibility and safety.

"While the installation of lights in the dense forest area may affect the free movement of elephants, protecting human life is our top priority. We will work toward a balanced approach that ensures the safety of both humans and wildlife," said a forest official.

He added that a herd of about 15 elephants had been seen roaming in the area at the time of the incident.

The forest officials said that according to rules, an advance compensation of Rs 25,000 was handed over to the kin of the victim, while the remaining Rs 3.75 lakh will be given after documentation.

The incident comes a day after a 25-year-old woman and her four-year-old daughter died when a portion of their mud house collapsed following an elephant attack in Khunti. PTI CORR NAM NN