A 76-year-old man was trampled to death by a tusker in Jajpur district on Friday morning, prompting the forest department to deploy personnel in nearby villages as residents reported continuing damage to crops and houses.
The victim, Jagannath Rout of Bandhapai village under the Dalijoda forest range, was attacked while he was going to his field, according to Sachidananda Subudhi, the forest range officer of Dalijodi. Villagers took Rout to the community health centre at Barachana, where doctors declared him dead.
Forest officials said elephants frequently stray from the nearby reserve forest into surrounding villages. The movement has affected both public safety and farming activity, with local residents reporting damage to paddy and vegetable crops. Some houses have also been damaged, according to the report.
The forest department has deployed personnel in the villages as a protective measure. Officials are attempting to drive the elephants away by beating drums and lighting fires, the forest range officer said.
“The family members of the deceased will get Rs 10 lakh from the forest department as compensation money soon,” Subudhi said. The department did not provide further details in the report on the process or timeline for releasing the compensation.
The latest death has renewed concern among residents over the frequency of wild elephant incursions in the area. Sanjay Rout, a local resident, said villagers were worried about what he described as a rising wild elephant menace in the region.
The incident also highlights the immediate administrative challenge facing villages located near reserve forest areas: protecting residents moving through agricultural fields while managing elephant movement and limiting damage to crops. For affected households, the conflict has consequences beyond the loss of life, as repeated crop damage threatens farm incomes and food production.
Forest personnel remained deployed in the affected villages following the attack. The department’s stated next steps are to continue efforts to move the elephants away from populated areas and process the promised compensation for the deceased man’s family.
