Crime Branch Probe into Elephant Deaths Begins

Dhenkanal: A day after the directive of the Chief Minister, a three-member team of Crime Branch police on Monday began a probe into the electrocution of seven elephants.

The elephants had died after coming in contact with live wire near Kamalangi village late on October 26.

According to reports, the team, led by the Crime Branch SP-1, Sampad Sandip Madkar and the two other members—Dhenkanal SDPO, D D Mishra and Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASO) Dilip Mishra, went to the offices of the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) and the Superintending Engineer of the Central Electricity Supply Utility (CESU) after arriving at the district headquarters.

Following the incident, the Forest and Environment Department had suspended three staff members while the Energy Department had suspended three CESU staff members and dismissed a junior engineer from the service for gross dereliction of duty.

After the electrocution of the seven elephants, Additional Conservator of Forest (ACF) of Dhenkanal Forest Range Jitendra Nath Das, had lodged a complaint in the Kantabania police station. Later, the police registered a case (no-116). Besides, the Wildlife Cell of the Crime Branch has also registered a case under Section 166, 429 and 34 of the IPC, Section 146 of the Electricity Act and Section 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act.

Prior to the arrival of the Crime Branch team, IG, Crime Branch, Arun Bothra had visited the Kantabania police station on Sunday evening to get the details of the incident.

A herd of 13 wild elephants had entered their village in the night on October 27. While passing through the village, seven of them came in contact with a live wire pulled at a height of about eight feet above the ground and died on the spot. The six other elephants left the area.

According to reports, the railway authorities had assigned a company for the construction of a railway over-bridge in the area for which CESU had provided power from a temporary feeder by pulling the transmission line at a height of eight feet above the ground, in gross
violation of the Government of India guidelines.

Former PCCF, Bijay Ketan Patnaik, said according to the Government of India guidelines, an 11 KV high-tension transmission line must be pulled at a height of 17-18 feet above the ground.