Tusker kills sleeping villager in Surguja forest
58-year-old crushed to death by tusker
Ambikapur | Correspondent: Panic and screams erupted in the early hours within the Kharsota-Parmeshwarpur forests, part of the Pratappur forest range in Surguja, when an aggressive tusker attacked a makeshift hut located near a residential area. Sandhari Pando, a 58-year-old resident of Khardli village in Odgi block, was asleep in his home, situated away from the main road, on Friday night.
The elephant suddenly arrived, demolished the hut, grabbed Sandhari with its trunk, and brutally crushed him to death by repeatedly slamming him against the ground. The villager died on the spot in this tragic incident.
When locals visited the site in the morning, the harrowing scene left the entire village in stunned silence.
Upon receiving news of the incident, a Forest Department team arrived at the scene, took possession of the body, and sent it to the hospital for a post-mortem examination.
As part of administrative procedure, the Forest Department offered condolences to the bereaved family and provided immediate financial assistance of ₹25,000.
It is worth noting that the threat posed by elephants is not new to this area. Just a year ago, an elephant had similarly claimed the life of another villager near this same forest, causing widespread outrage and panic among the residents.
