Chhattisgarh: Elephants trampled mentally unwell man in Balrampur

Balrampur: A 50-year-old mentally unwell person was trampled to death by an elephant herd in Chhattisgarh's Balrampur district on Thursday, an official said.

Bindeshwar Gond, a native of Duppi village under Rajpur forest range, was attacked by two tuskers, the official said.

"He is said to be mentally unwell. Soon after being alerted, Divisional Forest Officer (Balrampur) Vivekanand Jha and other officials reached the spot. The body was sent for post mortem," he said.

"The kin of the deceased was given immediate aid of Rs 25,000, while remaining compensation of Rs 5.75 lakh each will be given after completion of formalities," he added.

Another herd of 25 elephants has been roaming in the region, and tuskers have destroyed paddy and maize on a 15-hectare area spread over more than a dozen villages in the last five days, he said.

"Compensation will be given for crop damage. People in these villages have been told to be alert to tusker movement. Ground staffers of the forest department are tracking these two herds," the official said.

The districts facing an elephant menace over the past few years are Surguja, Raigarh, Korba, Surajpur, Mahasamund, Dhamtari, Gariaband, Balod, Balrampur and Kanker.

As per the forest department, more than 210 people have been killed in elephant attacks in the state in the last three years.