Panic has gripped several villages in Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district as a marauding tusker has claimed 20 lives to date. The relentless menace has forced frightened residents to take refuge on rooftops and crowded concrete houses, while forming night watch groups to avoid attacks.
Particularly tragic is the case of 13-year-old Jaipal Singh Meral from Barbaria village, who lost almost his entire family to an attack earlier this month. The trauma has left him silent, refusing to eat or attend school, as villagers express deep concern for his well-being.
Efforts are intensifying to locate the elusive elephant, with forest officials deploying joint teams across Jharkhand and Odisha. Experts link the rising human-elephant conflict to habitat loss from mining and development, warning of dire consequences if the root causes are not addressed.