Assam’s human-elephant conflict toll in the Kumarikata area of Tamulpur district has risen to 27 in two years after three people were trampled to death in two days by elephants entering villages from forest areas.
The latest deaths occurred as a herd of about 130 elephants moved into villages near the Indo-Bhutan border in search of food, primarily paddy and bananas, according to forest officials. The victims were attacked while travelling to their paddy fields.
Bowa Lohar, 55, and Budhua Paik, 50, were killed in separate incidents at Hatiduba and Menuka Tea Estate in NC Angarkata village. Haunar Basumatary, a middle-aged man and former cadre of the now-defunct Bodo Liberation Tigers, was killed in Tamulpur. The three deaths have taken the reported conflict toll in the area to 10 this year.
Kumarikata forest range officer Prabhat Barman told the Times of India that human-elephant conflict in Tamulpur had increased rapidly since around 2020. He said elephants were entering villages from Bornadi Wildlife Sanctuary and forests in Bhutan.
The elephants travel from Bornadi Wildlife Sanctuary to the villages by crossing the seasonal Lokhaitora river, also known as the Bornadi river. According to Barman, they generally begin entering villages between July and August, during the peak cultivation season, and remain until around January, when harvesting is completed.
Paddy harvesting has now begun in Tamulpur. Forest officials said the elephants had already destroyed about 1,000 bighas of paddy fields, in addition to damaging houses and killing residents.
Forest personnel and several non-governmental organisations have been working to drive the elephants away, but officials said the operation was difficult because the main herd is accompanied by smaller groups. Herds of four to five and 10 to 15 elephants have been moving through different villages, while four or five elephants separated from the main group have taken shelter in some villages.
The district administration has issued an advisory for residents of 13 villages: No. 1 Paharpur, Bhalukjhar, Hatiduba, Shantipur, Chechapani, Natun Bazar, Ananda Bazar, No. 2 Darrangapar, No. 1 Darrangapar, Menoka, Bogajuli, Khairani and Guwabari.
Residents have been asked to remain alert, maintain a safe distance from the elephants and avoid loud noises, firecrackers and unnecessary interference. The administration has also warned people against shooting poisoned arrows at elephants or using poison to drive them away, saying such actions could provoke aggressive behaviour and endanger human lives.
The current movement of elephants coincides with the cultivation and harvesting cycle in an area where forest officials say the conflict was not reported in its present form until around 2020. The immediate administrative response remains focused on keeping residents away from the herds and managing elephant movement as the animals continue to remain in and around the villages until harvesting is completed.
