Elephant attack in Chehla forest kills woman, injures 2 others in Jharkhand

A woman was killed, and two others were injured in an elephant attack on the night of Tuesday, November 26, 2024, in the Chehla forest, near Bhelwara in Jharkhand’s Sadar block. The victims—Poonam Devi (22), Roshni Kumari (27), and Pinki Kumari (17)—had entered the forest to collect wild berries when they were attacked by an elephant.

Poonam Devi was fatally trampled by the elephant during the attack, and she died at the scene. Roshni Kumari and Pinki Kumari suffered injuries and were later transported to Sheikh Bhikhari Medical College Hospital for treatment. Local residents who had also entered the forest at the time of the attack managed to flee after seeing the elephant and subsequently alerted others in the village.

The Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Vikas Ujjwal, confirmed the incident and provided information about the compensation process. He stated that an initial relief of ₹25,000 has been provided to the family of the deceased, and the family will receive ₹3.75 lakh as compensation under government provisions. Compensation will also be provided to the injured women as per government guidelines.

The DFO further mentioned that forest department personnel, including rangers and other officials, visited the location to assess the situation. The forest department has urged locals to report any elephant sightings and avoid entering the forest if elephants are in the area. The department also recommended the use of the Forest Department’s Elephant App to help with reporting and tracking elephant movements for safety purposes.