Jamshedpur: A man was trampled to death by a herd of four elephants in West Singhbhum district in the early hours of Wednesday. The herd, which went on a rampage across four villages in Jagannathpur block, also damaged houses and standing crops, forest officials said.The deceased was identified as Chandramohan Sinku, 35, a resident of Budhakaman village. Sinku, a father of four, was picked up by an elephant and slammed repeatedly on to the ground. Critically injured, Sinku was taken to the local community health centre, where doctors declared him dead.While Chaibasa divisional forest officer Aditya Narayan did not respond to calls, Tinku Kumar Das, the officer – in charge of Jagannathpur police station, said, “The body was sent to Chaibasa Sadar Hospital for post-mortem examination.“ An immediate relief of Rs 1 lakh was provided to Sinku’s wife, officials said.The herd then moved through Mugadighiya, Tentoriposi and Lutusai villages, where it damaged three houses, destroyed orchards and standing crops. The herd devoured nearly three quintals of paddy stored in a farmer’s house, and damaging household belongings.A joint team of forest guards and Quick Response Team volunteers were deployed to drive the herd back into Saranda forest. Locals claimed the herd had been roaming the area for four days and damaged houses and crops, but forest officials did not act on time.“Even at the time of the incident, repeated calls were made to the ranger and the forester, but neither of them answered the phone,” claimed Man Singh Tiriya, a Zila Parishad member who ferried Sinku to the hospital along with a few other locals.9234sr@gmail.com
