From Our Special Correspondent
GUWAHATI: An urgent meeting of the state forest department chaired by the Assam forest minister on Monday afternoon decided to tranquilise and relocate the “rogue” elephant that trampled five people to death on Tuesday.
The meeting was attended by senior forest officials and members of the expert panel constituted after the incident.
The tuskless male elephant was located with the help of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) spotted the Kheropara reserve forest (Satabari) under Rongjuli range on Friday following which the expert committee led by the chief conservator of forest decided to meet and take a call on the next course of action.
The panel had after locating the elephant decided to monitor the elephant’s movements closely and arranged domesticated elephants (kunkis) for the purpose.
Five persons, including a minor, were trampled to death in separate locations by the rampaging elephant within 24 hours at Matia in the western Assam district on Tuesday, triggering fear and fury among locals who even assembled to protest at the police station where the deceased were kept.
A border district, Goalpara shares a contiguous forest with Garo Hills with movement of elephants in the area common and man-elephant conflicts happening at regular intervals.
Herds of elephants move around in the Rongjuli-Goalpara area after descending from Garo Hills.