HAZARIBAGH: Six people including four members of a family and two toddlers, were trampled to death after a herd of wild elephants entered Gondwar village under Churchu block in the early hours of Friday. The incident occurred between 1 and 2 am when villagers were asleep.According to locals, five elephants strayed into the settlement from nearby forest areas and began damaging kutcha houses. In the chaos that followed, six villagers were crushed to death. The deceased have been identified as Suman Kumari (26), Savita Devi (25), Dhaneshwar Ram (52), Suraj Ram (50), and two children — Anurag Ram (1) and Sanjana Kumari (3). Four of the victims belonged to the same family, leaving it devastated.Villagers said the elephants uprooted the gate of one house and barged inside before trampling those attempting to flee. “People were in deep sleep. By the time we realised what was happening, the elephants had already entered the houses,” a resident said.Locals tried to drive the herd away by raising an alarm, but the elephants remained in the vicinity for a considerable time, spreading panic across the village.Residents alleged that an estimated herd of around 18 elephants has been moving across Churchu and adjoining Mandu assembly areas for the past few weeks, causing damage to the crops and houses. They claimed repeated pleas to the administration for preventive measures had yielded little result.Churchu police sent the bodies for postmortem, while forest department teams rushed to the spot and intensified patrolling in the area.Divisional Forest Officer (East Division) Vikas Kumar Ujjwal expressed grief over the deaths and assured all possible assistance to the bereaved families. He said the department is monitoring the herd’s movement and efforts are underway to prevent further loss.Villagers have demanded immediate compensation for the victims’ families and a long-term solution to recurring man-elephant conflict in the region.
