Cuttack: Irate residents of Haridaposi village under Tigiria police limits of Cuttack district thrashed forest staff and the Athagarh forest range officer on Saturday morning after a tusker trampled a youth.
Reports said a tusker attacked Kalia Behera when he had gone to attend to nature’s call early in the morning. He tried to flee, but the tusker chased and trampled him, killing him on the spot. Village residents rushed to the spot to find Behera lying there with his head severed.
On receiving information, forest staff from Tigiria and the Athagarh forest range officer rushed to the village. But the irate residents thrashed them. Later, the Athagarh DFO and a team from Tigiria police station rushed to pacify the residents.
The DFO announced Rs 4 lakh in ex-gratia to the family of the dead, providing Rs 40,000 in advance.
The residents said they had been demanding that the forest department drive away the elephants from their village, but the department was yet to take action.
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