A tusker was discovered dead in a cashew orchard at Chanuth Mal village under Gudighat Forest Beat in Bolangir district on Thursday morning.
Local villagers spotted the carcass in the orchard owned by Sanjeev Putel and immediately informed forest officials. The team reached the site, seized the body, and began an investigation. The incident triggered tension in the area as departments traded blame over the cause of death.
Preliminary assessment by forest officials suggested that the elephant died after coming in contact with an electric wire connected to a borewell inside the orchard. Gudighat Forester Jayakrishna Bhoi stated that the tusker likely suffered electrocution while moving through the plantation.
However, Muribahal electricity division officer Mohammad Juned rejected the allegation. He claimed that the power supply in the area had remained disconnected the previous night and argued that the elephant might have died due to illness or another reason.
The carcass recovery process is underway, and the post-mortem report will confirm the actual cause of death. Environmentalists and locals expressed deep concern over the incident and demanded a high-level probe. They stressed accountability and preventive measures to protect wildlife in human-dominated landscapes.
