Elephant herd causes panic in Dinhata, one hurt

Cooch Behar: Panic spread across the area when a herd of elephants entered the Lakshmi Bazar Bhootkura area of Dinhata-1 block on Thursday morning. Harendra Nath Barman (45), a local resident, fell to the ground after being chased by the elephant group when he attempted to get a closer look at them. As the people who had gathered there started running in fear, some inadvertently ran over the fallen man, causing him serious injuries.

Initially, the injured person was taken to Dinhata subdivision hospital and later transferred to Cooch Behar MJN Medical College and Hospital due to the critical nature of his condition, where he is currently receiving treatment.

Upon receiving information about the incident, the Forest department staff from Cooch Behar and Jaldapara range rushed to the scene to attempt to drive away the elephants. According to Forest department sources, a group of six elephants had ventured out of the Jaldapara forest and made their way towards the locality the previous night. Locals reported spotting the elephants in the Mahamari area late Wednesday night before they proceeded to Dinhata. The Forest department is planning to guide the elephants back into the forest by evening.

Manbendra Nath Roy, the head of Dinhata Matalhat Gram Panchayat, explained: “A group of six elephants suddenly entered the village on Thursday morning. The village residents had already been alerted about the situation. Although the elephants caused no major damage, they did trample some paddy fields. Unfortunately, a man was injured when the crowd ran in panic, and he is currently receiving

medical treatment.”