Wild elephant attack kills farmer
A farmer was killed while trying to save his paddy field as a herd of wild elephants attacked him near the Haluaghat border area in Mymensingh on Tuesday night, said police.
Deceased Idris Ali, 50, is from Barak village in Haluaghat upazila. The incident took place at around 9:30 pm on Tuesday.
Police and local people said there was a herd of 35-40 elephants in the hilly forests near the bordering Gazirbhita union parishad in the evening. The elephants enters the paddy field in Barak village at around 9:30 pm. People dispersed the elephant herd at the time.
They said Idris Ali went too near the elephants to save the crops of his land. At that time an elephant get hold of him with its trunk and trampled under its feet. Later, the herd went towards the hill as people chased them and people recovered the body of Idris Ali.
The herds of wild elephants come out of the forests in search of food whenever the paddy ripens. But neither the government nor the forest department did take any step to curb the attack of the wild elephants
Gazirbhita union parishad chairman Md Abdul Mannan said two farmers died in the attack of wild elephants while saving their crops in a span of just a few days. The herds of wild elephants come out of the forests in search of food during this season of harvesting. But neither the government nor the forest department did take any step to prevent the attack of the wild elephants, he objected.
The UP chairman further said, the people living near the border have been passing their days in fear of more such attacks. He urged the government to prevent the attacks of wild elephants.
Speaking to Prothom Alo, Mazaharul Islam, Gopalpur beat officer of Mymensingh forest department said, “Two farmers died in attacks of wild elephants in Haluaghat in 10 days. The families of the deceased will be asked to apply to the forest department. Against this application forest department will pay Tk 300,000 to each of the families.”
Haluaghat police station officer-in-charge Md Shahinuzzaman Khan said, “I went to the spot. The body of the farmer was handed over at the request of his family without any autopsy. A general diary (GD) was filed at the court.”
Earlier, on 22 April, farmer Farjul Islam was trampled to death by a herd of wild elephants in the bordering Katabari area in Haluaghat upazila.
Another farmer Bijoy Marak was killed in the attack of wild elephants while trying to save crops in Purba Shamaschura village in Nalitabari upazila in Sherpur on 28 April. A youth Sumon Mia was trampled by wild elephants in Uttar Ranipur village in Dhobaura upazila in Mymensingh on 19 April.