Jalpaiguri: An elderly cattle grazer was killed in a wild elephant attack inside the Nathua Forest in Jalpaiguri district, casting a pall of gloom over the local community. The deceased has been identified as Amar Bahadur Chettri (70), a resident of Paschim Khayerkata under Angrabhasa-II Gram Panchayat in Nagrakata block, police said.
According to local sources, Chettri had gone to graze cattle in the Nathua Forest on Sunday, as he did everyday, accompanied by several others. While they were inside the Nathua Beat area of the Jalpaiguri Forest Division, a herd of wild elephants suddenly appeared in front of them. The others managed to flee, but Chettri failed to escape and went missing in the chaos. His companions immediately alerted his family.
Police and forest officials launched a search operation late Sunday. On Monday morning, Chettri’s body was found deep inside the South Diana Block under the Nathua Beat. Banarhat police recovered the body around 8 am and sent it for post-mortem.
Officials of the Forest department have stated that because the incident occurred inside a restricted forest zone, no compensation will be provided as per existing rules.