Kolkata, March 03: A tragic incident occurred during a census exercise at the Buxa Tiger Reserve in North Bengal, where a forest guard was fatally trampled by a wild elephant. The 57-year-old guard, identified as Ali Miyan, died instantly on the scene. The incident took place in the Pukhri area of the Jayanti range during a tiger-herbivore census conducted by the forest department, with a team of foresters and scientists from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) present.

TOI reported that Ali Miyan and two other guards spotted an adult elephant approaching them. In an attempt to scare the animal away, Ali tried to fire his gun into the air, but it failed to discharge. Although he managed to fire a second shot, it was too late; the elephant had already attacked him. Uttar Pradesh Shocker: Depressed Over Cancellation of Police Recruitment Exam, Woman Ends Life.

Witnessing the severe injuries inflicted on Ali by the enraged elephant, the other guards fled the scene. Abdul Kader, a co-villager and relative of the deceased, claimed that Ali’s gun was faulty and did not fire when needed, leading to his untimely death. Uttar Pradesh Shocker: Man Kills Younger Brother Over Trivial Dispute in Lucknow’s Nishatganj Area.

The villagers, distraught over Ali’s death, blamed the forest department. They expressed their anger by pelting stones at the department’s vehicle that was carrying Ali’s body, ransacking a vehicle belonging to the WII, and even attempting to set the Jayanti range office on fire. The police were called in to control the mob and had to use force to disperse the crowd.

The forest department issued an official statement expressing regret over the unfortunate incident. Debasis Sharma, the Deputy Field Director of BTR (East), assured that Ali’s family would receive appropriate compensation. Meanwhile, the Alipurduar Police have initiated an investigation into the matter.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 03, 2024 04:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).