Raisuan/Baripada: The girl hostel students of Biplabi Dharanidhar Sikshyakendra in Kusumita village of Keonjhar district are living in fear after a herd of elephants pulled down the boundary wall of the school a few days ago.
According to reports, around 470 girls are staying in the hostel, but they do not feel safe after frequent attacks from elephants here. Since the wall has been destroyed, they were apprehensive that criminals and wild animals could easily reach their hostel now.
Villagers said that elephants frequent the village to eat mangoes and jackfruits from the nearby forest. Students can run into elephants any time.
“As night falls we do not sleep fearing elephants. Electricity plays truant most of the time in this remote area. In case of any untoward incidents we can’t communicate as mobile phones don’t work,” some students said.
Local people and students demanded that the district administration should take immediate steps to rebuild the wall and check the frequent power outages in the locality.
The forest department should conduct night patrols in the area to keep off elephants, they said.
Meanwhile, a report from Baripada said a herd of elephants strayed into the Baunsabila village of Pithabata range from Similipal in Mayurbhanj district, frightening villagers. Though the forest officials drove away the animals, the villagers are still under the grip of fear.