Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: A wild elephant killed 65-year-old Anna Kalita on July 8 near the Padladiya river in Nalbari district. The victim was attending a funeral at Katahkuchi when the herd charged. Three others survived by jumping into the river. This tragedy struck in the home district of Environment and Forest Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah.
RTI activist Dilip Nath now demands an investigation into the Assam Forest Department. The herd contained an elephant fitted with a radio collar in 2023. This project involved the Bengaluru-based Asian Nature Conservation Foundation to track movement and manage human-elephant conflict. Nath suspects the equipment failed or the state simply stopped watching.
"The radio collar was fitted around the elephant only to monitor the animal’s movement. It is surprising how the Forest Department could not track the elephant even when the herd came out of the reserve forest and entered a human habitation area," Nath said. He insists officials responsible for the tracking must face consequences for their potential negligence.
The attack spotlights similar tracking efforts in the Baksa district. Authorities collared a tusker from a 50-strong herd there in November 2024. Questions remain regarding the operational status of these devices. Locals fear that tracking programs offer little protection when herds wander into villages.
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