Dhenkanal (Odisha)- A peaceful morning in Baghadharia village under Hindol police limits turned into a scene of horror on Thursday when a wild elephant claimed the lives of three villagers, plunging the entire community into grief and anger.
The victims of the tragic incident have been identified as 55-year-old Jhulana Dehuri, her brother-in-law Karunakar Dehuri aged 60, and fellow villager Sashi Sahu. As per local accounts, Jhulana had stepped out of her home early in the morning to pluck flowers when the elephant suddenly appeared and attacked her. Hearing her desperate screams, Karunakar rushed to her rescue but was also fatally attacked. Both died on the spot.
Moments later, another local resident, Sashi Sahu, came face-to-face with the rampaging elephant. He sustained grievous injuries and was rushed to Angul District Headquarters Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
The shocking incident has stirred intense unrest among the villagers who have long complained of repeated elephant intrusions in the region but received little support or preventive action from the authorities. The deaths have now triggered widespread outrage, forcing villagers to take to the streets.
With heavy hearts and furious voices, the grieving villagers carried the bodies to the Cuttack-Sambalpur road near Satmile Chhak — roughly three kilometers from the village — and launched a protest by blocking the road. They demanded immediate compensation for the bereaved families and called for urgent steps to install solar-powered fencing around the village to deter further elephant movement.
The protest saw the arrival of senior officials including SDPO Satya Kumar Nanda, Hindol IIC Charulata Behera, and Forest Ranger Gautam Pradhan, who reached the site to engage with the aggrieved villagers and seek a peaceful resolution.
As tension gripped the region, the community’s message was clear — their patience has run out. What they now seek is not just sympathy but prompt action, sustainable safety, and long-overdue accountability.
