In a tragic incident, a forest ranger was trampled to death by a wild tusker near Narla range in Kalahandi district on Sunday. The deceased forest official has been identified as Prashant Pal.
As per reports, a herd of around 15 elephants had strayed into the area to eat paddy. After spotting the elephant herd, the villagers alerted the Forest Department officials urging them immediately to drive them away from the area.
On getting the information regarding the movement of the jumbos, the ranger reached the village along with other forest officials to drive the wild animals back into the forest. When their operation was underway, a tusker came out of its hiding suddenly and trampled Pal. He was later rescued by local people and other forest officials in critical condition with serious injuries on his stomach.
Pal was immediately rushed to Narla Community Health Centre in a critical condition. However, he succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment.
Notably, the area has been gripped with elephant menace for several days. Following the tragic incident, a pal of gloom descended among the villagers and the forest officials. Panic has gripped the area as several of them are in a state of shock.