The latest deaths come close on the heels of another elephant attack on January 25, when Karamchand Soren was killed in the remote Darhabera village of the same Gomia block in Bokaro district of Jharkhand.

Following that incident, state minister Yogendra Prasad had taken cognisance of the matter and issued directions to the Forest Department to curb the elephant menace.

Despite those assurances, the fresh incident has raised serious questions about the preparedness and response of the Forest Department.

Official sources said that more than 18 people have lost their lives in elephant attacks across Jharkhand since January this year.

The rising toll has brought the issue of human-elephant conflict into sharp focus in the state, with growing demands for concrete and effective measures to prevent further loss of life.

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