Dhanbad: A herd of 35 elephants damaged more than 12 houses and destroyed standing paddy and maize crops in Charak Dhongabeda village under Jatakuti panchayat in Tundi block of the district late on Tuesday.A 65-year-old villager, Moti Mohli, suffered a fracture in one of his legs after the elephants damaged his house and dragged him for 200 metres before throwing him. Locals claimed forest officials did not respond to their phone calls. Tundi BDO Vishal Pandey, however, responded to their calls and sent two administrative vehicles to the affected area.Forest teams reached the village on Wednesday after a six-hour protest and assured to compensate the families whose houses and crops were damaged.
