The deceased have been identified as Rebecca Kerketa (28), Kanya Tiria (50) and two kids.
All of them are from the same family. The incident took place in the Bormanthi village under East Forest range, Bokajan at around 3 pm on Thursday.
The family was returning home from their Citronella field when they met the herd of two elephants on their way. The herd charged them and trampled them immediately.
Later, police and forest personnel arrived at the spot and recovered the bodies of four persons. The bodies have been sent to Diphu Medical College and Hospital for postmortem. The incident sent a shockwave across Karbi Anglong district.
This is not only the first incident. Earlier, a small school going girl was trampled to death in board daylight at Longkathar village under Khatkhati Forest beat on January 4, 2017. In August, 2019, a 13-year-old-girl was trampled to death by a wild elephant in the Phulbari area of Bokajan.
In May 2019, a pregnant woman and her 4-year-old daughter were trampled to death by a herd of wild elephants in the Sunday Bazaar area along Assam-Nagaland border. Massive deforestation of forests compelled the elephant herds to enter into human habitat in search of food.
Casualties have resulted in either sides. Several elephants have been killed in recent years over railway tracks, electrocution and injuries caused during conflict with human. A tusker was killed in Bokajan after being knocked down by the Guwahati-Mariani Busy Express on May 5 last year.
Another Tusker was electrocuted to death in the Dhansiri Tea Estate under Silonijan Ranger in Bokajan Subdivision, a couple of years back. A team of Forest officials and WTI (Wildlife Trust of India) Veterinarians rescued a injured wild elephant at Nambor Reserve Forest in Karbi Anglong-Golaghat border in 2016.
Earlier in 2018, a bullet-riddled carcass of an adult male elephant with both its tusks removed was found in the Horumanthi area under Bokajan East Forest Division.
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