UP farmer trampled to death by wild elephants from Nepal — second case in a month

A forest team reached the site, took custody of the body, and sent it for an autopsy. Ram

Angered by his death, local residents staged a protest, alleging that although the elephants had been present in the region for several days, no effective steps were taken to drive them back towards Nepal. The situation was brought under control after officials intervened and assured the public of action.

Officials said the herd crossed the Nepal border after breaking through fencing. Five days ago, the animals had not been spotted anywhere in the area and it was believed they had returned to their original habitat.

But late Monday night, officials said, around 20 elephants crossed the border again and entered the Majhgain Range. At the time, several villagers were in their fields — a short distance from the main settlement — guarding their crops.

“While trying to protect his crop, Ram Bahadur, along with two others, entered the sugarcane field and began shouting in an attempt to scare the elephants away. Because of the heavy fog and the dense sugarcane, they could not see far ahead. Suddenly, they came face-to-face with one of the animals. The other two men managed to escape, but the elephant attacked Ram Bahadur and trampled him to death,” said Ankit Kumar, Ranger of the Majhgain Range.

The Forest Department has urged residents living near the Indo-Nepal border to remain alert and follow safety guidelines. To deter the elephants, teams are burning hay mixed with chilli powder, using hooters and firecrackers to create noise, and placing tractors on key routes to block them from entering inhabited areas.

The previous incident occurred on November 2 in Pilibhit, around 130 km from Lakhimpur Kheri.

The body of a 61-year-old farmer, Punnu Mandal, was found inside a hut located a short distance from the residential area of Dhakiya Talluke Maharajpur village. Officials believe he was trampled to death by an elephant.

Earlier, on October 24, two elephants that had crossed over from Nepal attacked and injured a 32-year-old farmer, Shyam Lal, in Ujhainia village of Pilibhit.