Tangi: A 40-year-old man was trampled to death by a wild elephant in Nidhipur village under Tangi range in Khurda district on Thursday night.
The deceased has been identified as Sushant Pradhan (40), a resident of Nidhipur village.
According to reports, Sushant had gone out on his bicycle for nature’s call late on Thursday night. While returning home, he came under a surprise attack by a wild elephant. The elephant trampled him on the spot, resulting in his immediate death.
The tragic incident has triggered tension in the local area. Aggrieved family members and villagers staged a protest by burning tyres and blocking the road, demanding immediate compensation for the deceased’s family.
Upon being informed, Jankia police and Forest Department personnel reached the spot and are investigating the matter.
It is pertinent to mention this is not an isolated incident. For a long time, human-elephant conflict has been a serious issue in the Tangi range. Wild elephants frequently enter villages in search of food, leading to repeated clashes between humans and elephants. In this conflict, both humans and elephants continue to lose lives.
Meanwhile, local residents have accused the Forest Department of negligence in monitoring elephant movements and failing to take effective measures to prevent such attacks.
