Tinsukia Villagers Protest Forest Department Over Elephant Raids

Guwahati: Hundreds of residents swarmed the Doomdooma Forest Division office in Assam’s Tinsukia district on Monday. Families from Philobari’s Amguri area demanded immediate protection from wild elephant herds. The elephants descend on the villages nearly every night. They destroy tea plantations, banana groves, and areca nut trees. Farmers have lost almost everything.

Protesters accused the Forest Department of ignoring their plight. They cited slow compensation and a lack of permanent solutions for the recurring damage. One resident told officials, "We repeatedly informed the Forest Department about the elephant menace, but no permanent or effective measures have been taken." Families now stay awake all night to guard their homes against the animals.

The crowd warned of future protests if their demands for aid and better strategy go ignored. Another protester added, "If our demands are ignored, we will be left with no option but to intensify our democratic agitation." Experts point to illegal logging, rapid urbanisation, and agricultural expansion as the primary causes of the conflict. These actions strip elephants of their natural food sources. Conservationists claim that unless officials restore forest corridors and stop illegal timber felling, the raids will not stop.