Vegetable Seller Trampled to Death by Elephants in Bokaro

Bokaro: A vegetable seller from Ramgarh district was trampled to death by a herd of elephants in Gomia block of the district late on Sunday night. Locals claimed that Ravindra Dangi, a resident of Murumtala in Ramgarh, was pulled out of his Omni van by the herd using their trunks and dragged several metres away before being crushed to death.Dangi, in his forties, was driving down the road near Kander village, close to Simraberha Mahto Tola, when his vehicle was intercepted by a herd of five elephants. The herd has been moving along the forest bordering Bokaro and Ramgarh districts. Dangi’s vehicle did not have headlights on.Local forest officials claimed that initial probe suggested that Dangi’s vehicle may have overturned. As he stepped out of the vehicle, he was encircled and picked up by the herd and trampled to death.Sundeep Shinde, Bokaro divisional forest officer, said the incident took place around 8 pm in Gomia forest range. “Locals had warned him about the presence of the herd, but he ignored them and continued driving with his headlights turned off, which may have led to the fatal encounter,” he said.“The herd is currently moving through the region in search of food and water and is occasionally entering human settlements. After the casualty, a quick response team and local forest staff rushed to secure the site. The body was sent for postmortem examination, partial compensation has been provided to the victim’s family,” he said.