Despite efforts of the state forest department to contain man- elephant conflict, the menace continues to cause casualties in Jharkhand.

In the latest incident, two people were trampled to death by a herd of elephants in the Koderma district of the state. The elephant herd caused damage to property and crops in the Seraikela-Kharsawan district,

Reports say in Koderma’s Jainagar police station area, a herd of elephants attacked a brick kiln at Kanjhiyadih village on Tuesday night, damaging makeshift houses and triggering panic among workers.

A 32-year-old labourer, Rajkumar Manjhi of Fatehpur village in Bihar, and a 12-year-old boy, Lovkush, were killed in the attack. 

Three others sustained serious injuries in the incident -- Rajkumar Manjhi’s wife Gauri Devi, Lovkush’s mother Kari Devi, and a one-and-a-half-year-old child. They have been admitted to a hospital for treatment.

Following the incident, local residents expressed anger against the forest department, alleging that no effective steps were being taken to drive away the pachyderms despite their continuous presence in the area.

But the forest department officials countered their allegations saying, a team of forest guards were at ground zero to drive away the herd of elephants who had deviated from forest areas to enter into villages in Koderma.

In any case, earlier on April 19, a youth was killed in an elephant attack in the Satgawan block of Koderma district. The incident had led to protests, with villagers blocking the Gaya-Deoghar main road while demanding compensation and enhanced security measures.

Meanwhile, in neighbouring Seraikela-Kharsawan district, an elephant created havoc on Tuesday night in Tiruldih village under the Rusuniya panchayat of the Chandil forest area.

The animal entered a newly upgraded primary school and consumed around one and a half quintals of rice meant for the midday meal scheme. It also damaged banana and vegetable crops in Bana village and destroyed cucumber fields.

Reports quoting local farmers indicate that herds of elephants have been camping in the Chandil subdivision area for several years and frequently venture into villages after dusk, damaging houses and crops.

Repeated incidents have created an atmosphere of fear, forcing residents to stay awake at night to guard their homes and fields.

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