Man trampled to death by wild elephants in Chhattisgarh

A 60-year-old former Zila Panchayat member was trampled to death by a herd of wild elephants in Chhattisgarh's Surajpur district, an official said on Friday. The body of Shankar Singh, a resident of Pakhni village in Pratappur forest range, was found by locals in the jungle on Thursday, the official said. Singh had left for neighbouring Parmeshwar village on foot on July 6, but had failed to return home, he said. Despite extensive search, the victim's family was unable to track him down, he said.

"Footprints of elephants were found around the body and after examining the remains, we have come to the conclusion that he was attacked by pachyderms," he said.

Surajpur, a neighbouring district of Korba, is located around 350 km away from capital Raipur. The kin of the deceased, who was a former member of the Surajpur Zila Panchayat, have been provided an instant relief of Rs 25,000, the official said, adding that remaining compensation will be disbursed after completion of formalities. Forest personnel have been directed to keep a tab on the herd's movement to prevent any more untoward incidents, he added. Several incidents of human-elephant conflict have been reported in the past from the thick forested northern Chhattisgarh, comprising Surguja, Surajpur, Korba, Raigarh, Jashpur, Balrampur and Koriya districts.