Post News Network
Bargaon, Sept 27: In a heart wrenching incident, a woman and her two-year-old son were trampled to death by a marauding elephant at Katangjharia near Pathara in Sundargarh district in the small hours of Sunday.
The victims were identified as Champa Mahanandia (30) and her son Prabin Mahanandia. The incident occurred when the woman was going to her parents from her in-laws’ house in Shankaraposh to celebrate the birthday of her elder son Duleshwar Mahanandia, a Class VII student, Sunday.
Relatives have started pouring in and preparations were on for the birthday when the jumbo herd raided the village at night and claimed two lives.
The incident occurred when the pachyderms comprising 25 in number accompanying their calves raided the village at 2.30am and trumpeted noisily when the neighbourhood was fast asleep. The panicked villagers came out of their houses and ran for cover.
Champa who was carrying her two-year-old son in arms also began running towards the backyard of a neighbour’s house when an elephant pulled her by her hair and crushed the duo to death. Champa died on the spot while Prabin succumbed to injuries after some time.
According to the villagers, the herd sneaked into the village when some youths who were guarding the village to drive away the pachyderms returned home around 2am. The herd entered the village and also pulled down several houses belonging to Rajesh Tirkey, Stephen Khaka, Manoj Ekka, Bikarm Barla and Banu Khes while running amok in the village.
The villagers apprehending that the herd might demolish their houses came out and ran helter skelter to safety. While others managed to flee the raiders, Champa failed to run with her toddler in the dark and was caught by the jumbo.
Later in the morning assistant conservator of forest Pankaj Panda accompanied by forest officials and police personnel reached the spot and conducted a probe when villagers expressed their grievances before the officials. The herd has stay put in the area from September 16 and has unleashed a reign of terror by destroying crops and razing houses of 20 people.
In a related development, a female elephant was killed along with a trader at Khallikote in Ganjam district while two others were injured during a road mishap Saturday evening.