Tension gripped Pateli village under Angul forest division after two persons including a man and a woman were reportedly killed by an elephant early Thursday morning. The deceased have been identified as Shankar Biswal and Jhilli Majhi. The duo came face-to-face with the pachyderm while they had gone out for some work in the dawn and fell prey.
Both of them were killed on the spot. The matter came to the fore after locals spotted their bodies. The incident spread outrage in the village as irate villagers burnt tyres and blocked road. The agitators demanded adequate compensation and immediate measures to stop elephant attacks.
The residents accused the forest department of gross negligence and alleged that pachyderms have killed several people and destroyed standing crops on acres of land in the last few months.
At least 15 people have lost their lives due to elephant attacks in the area, reports said. On the other hand, the forest department has failed miserably to drive away the elephants or spread awareness among the local people causing outrage.
Vehicular movement came to a standstill and several vehicles remained stranded following the protest. On being informed, local police reached the spot and tried to pacify the agitators. However, residents expressed outrage as no officials from the forest department had reached the spot during the filing of this report.