Deogarh district witnessed unrest after a youth was killed in an elephant attack at Sangapasi village under the Reamal forest range.
The victim, identified as Sushant Nayak of Jagannathpur in Angul district, was attacked by a tusker on Wednesday evening. Locals staged a protest, refusing to allow the removal of the body for nearly 20 hours until officials assured compensation and action against the recurring elephant menace.
Witnesses said Sushant parked his car near the roadside when the elephant suddenly emerged from the forest, dragged him, and trampled him to death. The incident triggered anger among villagers, who demanded immediate intervention from the district administration and forest department.
Deogarh MLA Romanch Ranjan Biswal and Reamal block chairman Madhusudan Pradhan joined the protest, pressing for strong measures to control elephant attacks. Police deployed forces to maintain order as tension escalated.
On Thursday morning, Additional District Magistrate Rebeca Bilung, Sub‑Collector Parikshit Sahu, SDPO Ramesh Mahana, and ACF Swadhinata Sahani reached the spot. After discussions, officials promised compensation to the family and assured the deployment of more personnel to drive away elephants. They also confirmed plans to tranquillise the tusker responsible for repeated attacks.
Following these assurances, villagers withdrew the protest around 2 pm, allowing the body to be sent for a post‑mortem.
