Dhenkanal, July 31: In a heart-wrenching incident in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district, three villagers lost their lives in a wild elephant attack early Thursday morning in Baghadharia village under Hindol forest range.

The victims, identified as Jhulana Dehuri, her brother-in-law Karunakar Dehuri, and Sashi Sahu, were attacked while heading to a nearby pond. Sashi, who sustained critical injuries, later succumbed to injury at the hospital.

The tragedy sparked widespread outrage among locals, who staged a road blockade at Satmile Chhak by placing the victims’ bodies on the road. Villagers accused the forest department of negligence, citing delayed response and lack of preventive measures despite frequent elephant intrusions in the region.

After getting information, Sub Collector Prabhas Kumar Beura, Hindol SDPO Satya Kumar Nanda, local Tehsildar Dillip Kumar Sethi, and other officials arrived at the protest site to pacify the agitated crowd.

The road blockade was lifted after assurances were given to fulfill key demands, including -- Establishing a permanent forest camp in the village; Installing solar-powered fencing around the settlement; Deploying signage and awareness systems to prevent future conflicts.

Forest and Environment Minister Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia announced Rs10 lakh ex-gratia compensation for each bereaved family and confirmed the suspension of Rasol Forester Lusmita Singh and the forest guard for dereliction of duty.

The Hindol forest range, home to over 200 elephants, has witnessed a surge in human-elephant conflicts due to habitat loss and encroachment. Forest officials have now deployed additional protection squads and volunteers to monitor elephant movement and prevent further tragedies, sources said.

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