Bhubaneswar: The human-elephant conflict in Angul district has taken a serious turn with two more deaths reported in the last 24 hours.
According to reports, an 80-year-old man was killed by a wild elephant while he had gone to collect mangoes. The deceased has been identified as Bholeswar Pradhan of Chandanpur village under Purunagad section of Angul Range.
Pradhan was attacked by the elephant early in the morning. Locals recovered the body and staged a road blockade on the Purunagarh-Kartapata Road, expressing strong anger over the repeated elephant attacks.
Just a day earlier, another person was killed by an elephant in the Chendipada area. With these two fresh deaths, the total number of human casualties due to elephant attacks in Angul district has reached 6 this month alone.
Local residents have expressed deep resentment over the rising conflict and demanded immediate intervention by the Forest Department to prevent further loss of lives.
The Forest Department is yet to issue an official statement on the latest incident.
