Bandhamunda: A 65-year-old farmer was killed in an elephant attack while applying fertiliser to crops on his farmland in Sundargarh district’s Bisra block Sunday morning.
The deceased was identified as Nilambar Kalo of Bhuinya Toli village under Kapatmunda panchayat.
According to local sources, Kalo had gone to his farmland at Dhipa Toli with his wife, Sushama, around 6am to apply fertiliser.
While working in the field, he was allegedly attacked by an elephant that suddenly emerged from a nearby area.
The animal reportedly trampled him, leaving him critically injured.
Villagers rushed to the spot and alerted forest officials.
A Forest Department team rescued Kalo and shifted him to Rourkela Government Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
After the attack, the elephant reportedly crossed the Dumerta railway track and moved towards a nearby hill. Bandhamunda police later handed over the body to family members following a postmortem examination.
The incident sparked resentment among local residents, who accused forest authorities of failing to prevent frequent elephant incursions into human settlements.
Villagers demanded improved monitoring, timely alerts and long-term measures to mitigate human-elephant conflict in the region.