Chhattisgarh’s elephant conflict has forced authorities to close nine schools in Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi district for two days after a herd of 62 wild elephants was spotted moving through forest areas near villages in Marwahi block. The closures were ordered to prevent dangerous encounters involving children travelling to and from school.
The schools are located in villages under the Naka cluster of Marwahi block. They were ordered closed on November 4 and 5 after the herd was seen moving through the Naka and Matiyadand forest beats, according to the Times of India report. The decision was taken as forest officials monitored the elephants’ movement through areas used by residents for daily travel.
Acting on instructions from the district education officer, block education officer Sanjay Verma issued the closure order. The move illustrates how elephant movement through inhabited forest landscapes can interrupt essential public services, particularly in villages where schools and residential areas are connected by forest roads and pathways.
Forest officials warned residents not to approach the herd, attempt to drive the elephants away or gather around the animals. The presence of 62 elephants has raised concern among nearby communities, many of whom depend on forest routes for commuting and access to local facilities.
The immediate concern increased after a video circulating on social media appeared to show a man approaching the herd near Naka forest and gesturing at the elephants as if trying to drive them back. Forest officials said such behaviour could provoke the animals and place the individual and others nearby at risk.
A senior forest official said the department was working to identify the man seen in the video and would take appropriate action. Forest personnel continued tracking the herd and appealed to residents to maintain a safe distance and follow official warnings.
The school closures follow another recent elephant-related incident in Korba district, where a herd of about 52 elephants broke through the boundary wall of a residential school in October and entered the campus, frightening nearly 160 hostel students. The two incidents show how the safety challenge extends beyond forest interiors to school campuses, access routes and other spaces used by residents.
For the affected villages in Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi, the immediate administrative response has been to suspend classes while the herd remains mobile. The next steps are expected to depend on continued forest monitoring and official warnings about the elephants’ location.
