Alipurduar: Two corpses were recovered from the Jaldapara Forest Division’s reserved forest area within 24 hours, with the Forest department attributing the deaths to likely elephant attacks. The exact cause can be ascertained only after post-mortem examinations. Cops of Madarihat Police Station recovered the bodies and sent them to Alipurduar District Hospital for post-mortem examinations on Sunday. Mitu Paik (35) was found in the Dhumchi Forest on Saturday evening and Etoya Kharia’s (65) body was discovered on Sunday in Titi 4 compartment of Nilpara Range within Jaldapara National Park. Both victims had reportedly entered the forest with a herd of cows and fell prey to elephant encounters.
Navjeet De, the Assistant Wildlife Warden of Jaldapara National Park, stated: “Any death is unfortunate. However, compensating two families due to deaths in a protected forest area is not feasible. Forest laws have been violated in both cases.”