Attacked by elephant on way to exam, Madhyamik candidate dies

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who was in North Bengal when she was informed about the incident, expressed her grief over the death of the student and urged the education department to arrange bus services for students living in forest areas and writing their board examinations.

Students busy with revision before the Madhyamik examinations, at a Kolkata school on Thursday. (Express photo by Partha Paul)

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On his way to appear in the Madhyamik (Class X board) examination on the first day, a 14-year-old student died in an elephant attack at Maharajghat in Jalpaiguri on Thursday.

Accompanied by his father, Arjun Das was astride a bike as a pillion rider when an elephant separated from its herd in Baikunthapur jungle attacked him, said police. The elephant dashed the boy to the ground, leaving him profusely bleeding, said police, adding that his family members rushed him to Jalpaiguri Super Specialty Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead upon arrival. Arjun’s father, however, escaped unhurt.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who was in North Bengal when she was informed about the incident, expressed her grief over the death of the student and urged the education department to arrange bus services for students living in forest areas and writing their board examinations.

“It’s very unfortunate. I have directed the administration to make necessary arrangements so that the examination could be conducted smoothly,” she told mediapersons.

According to sources, the chief minister spoke with officials of the Jalpaiguri district administration and the forest department about the elephant attack. She asked the forest department to be more vigilant in preventing such attacks.

“It is difficult to handle an isolated elephant. I have asked the education department if required buses should be arranged for students living in forest areas so that they don’t have to walk through the forest. I will appeal to the forest department and police to increase surveillance to prevent such incidents,” she said.

The chief minister further said, “The elephant population has increased. Authorities in Nepal and Bangladesh have successfully implemented methods to tackle elephant attacks, but Bengal and Jharkhand are yet to find ways to handle them. Several such incidents are happening in Jharkhand and West Bengal, and we are not able to tackle them.”

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Jalpaiguri district magistrate Moumita Godara Basu and Siliguri Mayor Gautam Deb have been sent to meet the victim’s family, added Banerjee.

Following the incident, Additional Chief Secretary Vivek Kumar issued an order cancelling leave of all field staff during the Board Examination season.

Besides, the state Forest department issued an order stating that field officers of the Forest Directorate will ensure that students and examinees can travel to their examination centres and back without any physical risk from wild animals, especially wild elephants. It said, “the DFOs will arrange for extensive miking for public awareness on which roads to avoid and what precautions to take. They will also arrange erection of temporary drop gates at entry and exit points in areas where wild elephants are present.” With PTI

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