In an unfortunate incident, a man died after being trampled by a wild tusker today in Jakeikala village under Bonai block of Sundargarh district.
According to reports, Dharani Patra (40) was attacked by a tusker when he had gone to attend nature’s call early Sunday morning at around 5 am. Fellow villagers rescued Patra and rushed sub-division hospital, but the doctor declared him dead.
Following this incident, hundreds of people from Jakeikala village gheraoed the residence of DFO Officer Lalit Kumar Patra and the Bonai Divisional Forest Office. They raised slogans blaming the negligence of the Forest Rangers.
Sources said that when Bonai Ranger Debashish Nayak was trying to negotiate with the agitators, Gaja Sathi Tapan Nayak allegedly started a quarrel and the irate villagers manhandled him.
The villagers insisted on a permanent solution to this accident.
Bonai MLA Laxman Munda, Police Officer Gyanendra Kumar Sahu and the deceased family discussed the issue with the DFO.
The tense situation subsided after the DFO pledged that the deceased Dharani Patra’s son would be given a job in the forest department and Rs 6 lakh as compensation for the bereaved family.
Bonai MLA said that steps would be taken immediately to tranquillize the marauding tusker.
