Bhubaneswar: In the Kendrapara, another life was lost in a man-crocodile struggle. A sexagenarian, Baba Amulya Das from Kulasahi village went to defecate on Thursday night in the neighbouring Brahmani river embankment when a vicious saltwater crocodile dragged him into the river, according to local villager.
Upon learning of the tragedy, the members of the fire and forest departments initiated a search and rescue effort, but they were unable to locate Amulya’s body. A search and rescue operation was conducted on Friday by forest personnel with the assistance of firefighters. However, after 17 hours, the people discovered Amulya’s dismembered head floating in the river.
In front of the local magistrate and IIC, the dismembered body was recovered. Later, the body was confiscated by the Pattamundai police, who also submitted it for an autopsy. The forest staff verified Amulya’s death by crocodile attack.
The battle between humans and reptiles has primarily occurred in the coastal Kendrapara’s Pattamundai, Kendrapada, Rajnagar, Aul, and Rajkanika blocks at regular intervals. In the past one and a half months, crocodile attacks have claimed the lives of up to 4 people, including a woman and a little boy.
In order to protect the lives and property of the riverside people, locals said that the forest personnel had disregarded their requests to install iron fencing at the bathing ghats, particularly in the district’s crocodile-infested rivers.
