Tusker Breaks Into House, Tramples Man to Death in Dhenkanal Village

Dhenkanal: In a tragic incident of human-elephant conflict, a wild tusker allegedly broke into a house and killed a man at Nagari village under Odapada block in the Dhenkanal Sadar forest range on Wednesday night.

The deceased has been identified as 47-year-old Kasthu Behera, a resident of Nagari village.

According to reports, the incident took place while Behera was asleep inside his house. A tusker reportedly damaged the structure late at night, entered the house, and dragged him outside with its trunk. The elephant then trampled him, resulting in his death on the spot.

The sudden attack has triggered panic among villagers. Residents said that although elephant movement is common in the area due to its proximity to forest land, such a house-breaking incident has never been witnessed before. The brutality of the episode has left the community in shock.

On being informed, Forest Department officials rushed to the scene, recovered the body, and sent it to the District Headquarters Hospital for post-mortem. An inquiry has been initiated to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Officials said the tusker retreated into the nearby forest soon after the attack. Steps are expected to be taken to intensify monitoring of elephant movement in the area to prevent further incidents.

The incident once again underscores the escalating human-elephant conflict in forest-fringe regions of Dhenkanal district, raising concerns over the safety of residents living close to wildlife habitats.