Why nursery watcher sent to track elephants? Grieving forest worker’s family asks Odisha Forest Dept

Outrage is growing in Sambalpur district’s Tikilipada village under Naktideul range as locals staged a protest on Wednesday by blocking a main road with the body of a deceased forest worker for over 12 hours.

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The deceased, Dibakara Pradhan (50), a nursery watcher with the forest department, was reportedly sent on elephant tracking duty, a task far beyond his official responsibilities.

Following death, his lifeless body was kept at his home in Tikilipada under the Redhakhol forest division. Villagers are demanding answers — how and why a low-ranking nursery watcher was asked to carry out a dangerous task like tracking wild elephants.

The victim was not a trained person for the job, some irate locals alleged.

Who sent him? Under whose authority was this done? Who is responsible for his death? These are the burning questions being asked by the residents.

In response to mounting criticism, the state Forest Department has issued a brief statement acknowledging the incident and promising an investigation.

However, hundreds of locals still remain unconvinced, calling this yet another example of mismanagement and negligence within the department.

The protest continues as villagers demand justice, compensation for the victim’s family, and accountability from forest officials who allegedly misused their authority. Dibakara’s body has not been cremated yet, even after more than 12 hours.

“Yesterday morning, along with our regular elephant watchers, he (Dibakara) went to drive the pachyderms. Initially, he was asked not to go, but he insisted and went as a few others from his village were also going for the task,” Redhakhol forest ranger, Ashwini Kumar Behera, said to OTV when contacted at the agitation site.

“Following the mishap, we provided all medical care. Definitely, his death is a matter of sorrow for us. We assure his family members to accord due compensation as per the State government norms. The family has a demand to employ one of its members. I will write to my department's higher-ups in this regard,” the forest official added.