Keonjhar: A 25-year-old man was allegedly killed in an elephant attack at Dalangpani village under Patna forest range on Monday, triggering a dispute between police and forest departments over the cause of death.The deceased, Madan Nayak, was a resident of the village. According to locals, a herd of 19 elephants has been roaming the Patna forest range area for the past few days. On Monday evening, they entered the village, and during an attempt to drive away the elephants, Nayak allegedly came under attack.Sources said Nayak fell into a ditch while trying to flee. An elephant reportedly lifted him with its trunk and then trampled him, leaving him critically injured. He was taken to Ghatgaon community health centre, where he died during treatment.Patna range officer Bana Bihari Sardar denied that the death was due to an elephant attack. “We have not received any report from our field staff or the victim’s family regarding such an incident so far,” Sardar said.The forest department’s stand has led to concerns among villagers as compensation of Rs 10 lakh is provided under existing norms for death caused by an elephant attack.Ghatgaon IIC Subhranta Kumar Jena, however, said the death was caused by an elephant attack. “As per the medical report, the youth died due to injuries sustained in an elephant attack. The body was handed over to the family after post-mortem. We will inform the forest department,” Jena said.
