Bokaro Elephant Attacks: Five Dead in Three Days, Forest Dept Intensifies Efforts

Bokaro: A day after an elephant herd attacked and killed three elderly members of a family, the same herd attacked again on Friday around 8.15 pm and killed an elderly person and his minor grandson at Gangpur village while critically injuring three others under the Mhuatand police station of Gomia block in Bokaro district, forest officials said on Saturday. The death toll in the elephant attack in the block in the last three days alone has climbed to five. The same herd had also attacked and killed two others in January.

The deceased in Friday’s attack were identified as Somar Sao (50) and his five-year-old grandson, Aman Kumar. The injured, Somar’s granddaughter Rashi Kumari (11), grandson Rahul Kumar (7), and his relative Shanti Devi (60), were admitted to the Ramgarh sadar hospital with serious injuries, the officials said.


Locals said Somar was sitting under a tree near his house when the elephants came to the spot. There was no electricity at that time. In the darkness, several elephants picked up Somar and hurled him to the ground several times. The animals also dragged Somar to the house, where his grandchildren and daughter-in-law were present.

Soon after receiving the report, a quick response team (QRT) of the forest department rushed to the spot and attempted to drive the elephants back to the forest. Efforts are still on to track and control the movement of the herd, the forest officials said.

DC Ajay Nath Jha said, “The services of a 16-member elephant management team from Bankura in West Bengal have been taken, while night patrols and drone surveillance have been intensified. Steps have also been taken to ensure an uninterrupted power supply in the sensitive areas. The affected families are being provided compensation.”

Earlier on Thursday morning, around 3, the same herd, comprising about five elephants, trampled to death three more persons identified as Gangwa Karmali (65), his wife Kamli Devi (62) and his sister-in-law Bhagiya Devi (65) in adjoining Barki Punnu village in Karmali Tola. Two other women were also injured in the incident. The same herd also killed a person on January 25 while he was trying to save his son, and a vegetable seller was also killed after pulling him out from his vehicle on January 18 in the Gomia block.

Bokaro divisional forest officer, IFS Sandeep Sinde, said the same herd which has been roaming in the Barki Punnu area for several days is responsible for the attacks and the deaths.

Former MLA of Gomia, Lambodar Mahto, said, “There was no electricity in the village at the time of the incident. Power outages in areas prone to elephant attacks are exacerbating the problem. If there had been electricity, the villagers could have spotted the elephants, or the animals would not have entered the village. In an earlier incident of the elephant attack, there was no power in the village,” he added.

Notably, over 28 people have been killed in elephant attacks in the state since January. Of the deceased, a single rogue tusker claimed the lives of 20 people in West Singhbhum district.

The man-elephant conflicts in Jharkhand have left 477 people dead since the 2019-20 financial year, according to a govt report.