Dhenkanal: In a tragic incident, a wild elephant trampled three persons to death at Baghadharia village in Dhenkanal district on Thursday. The deceased were identified as Jhulana Dehuri, her brother-in-law Karunakar Dehuri and Sashi Sahu.

Jhulana was plucking flowers near her house when she came across the wild jumbo. The elephant suddenly attacked the victim, leaving her dead on the spot. Jhulana’s brother-in-law Karunakar rushed to her rescue after hearing her cries.

He was also trampled to death by the jumbo at the spot. Later, the wild elephant also attacked another villager, identified as Sashi Sahu, who sustained serious injuries. The villagers immediately rushed the critically injured Sahu to a nearby hospital. He was later shifted to Angul District Headquarters Hospital, where the doctors declared him dead.

The tragic deaths of the trio led to a protest by the villagers, who staged a road blockade by keeping the bodies of deceased persons on the Old Cuttack-Sambalpur Road at the nearby Satamile Square, demanding compensation for the victims and action against the erring Forest department officials.

Meanwhile, Forest, Environment and Climate Change Minister Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia expressed grief over the deaths. The Forest Minister also conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families. “The State government will provide adequate compensation to families of all the persons who lost their lives due to the elephant attack, and stringent action will be taken against the officials who neglected their duty. Following the instructions of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, I have issued directions to the departmental authorities in this regard,” informed Singhkhuntia.

As per the Forest department sources, the Divisional Forest Officer of Dhenkanal has placed the forester concerned under suspension with immediate effect and attached the official to Hindol Range.

Angul Regional Chief Conservator of Forests Sanjaya Swain, DFO Sumit Kar and Wild Life Chief Conservator of Forests Bikash Das visited the spot.

“The fatalities were reported in the early hours on Thursday. Locals rose in protest and blocked the road, seeking foolproof measures to prevent such tragedies in future. They demanded solar wire fencing around the village borders to stop the elephants’ intrusion into places of human habitation. They also sought 24x7 forest patrol to chase the elephants away from the villages,” said Hindol Sub-Collector Pravash Kumar Beuria.