Shahdol (Madhya Pradesh)– In two tragic incidents on Monday, two people—including a woman—were trampled to death by wild elephants in the dense forests of Shahdol district, Madhya Pradesh.
The victims, identified as 40-year-old Umesh Kaul and 65-year-old Devgania Baiga, were killed in separate attacks while collecting tendu leaves in the Godawal Reserve Forest area, according to officials.
Speaking to IANS, Sub-Divisional Police Officer Ravi Prakash Kol said both victims had ventured into the forest early in the morning when they encountered a herd of elephants.
Eyewitnesses described a horrifying scene as the elephants suddenly charged at Umesh Kaul. Others collecting tendu leaves nearby fled in panic and alerted forest officials—but help arrived too late. Umesh, a resident of Sannausi village, had entered the forest with his wife. When two wild elephants emerged from the foliage, his wife managed to escape by climbing a tree. She watched in horror as her husband was trampled to death.
Just a kilometer away, in Doda forest, another fatal encounter occurred. Devgania Baiga, 65, was also gathering tendu leaves when she was caught off guard by a group of elephants. Despite her cries for help, she was unable to escape and was fatally trampled.
Forest officials later recovered both bodies, and post-mortem examinations are underway, police said.
Preliminary reports suggest the elephants responsible had migrated from Bandhavgarh Sanctuary and were moving toward Beohari via Sidhi. Their presence has alarmed villagers across the region, where human-elephant conflict is on the rise. Previous incidents have included crop destruction and damage to homes, leaving local communities in fear.
Tendu leaf collection is a critical source of seasonal income for tribal communities in Madhya Pradesh and neighboring Chhattisgarh. But the work also places villagers in direct proximity to forest-dwelling wildlife.
In an effort to reduce such tragic encounters, the Madhya Pradesh government recently approved a ₹47-crore Human-Elephant Conflict Mitigation Plan on May 13. The plan includes training programs for farmers and rural residents on safely handling elephant encounters, deterring elephants from entering farmland, and minimizing losses to crops and property, Urban Development Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya announced.
Forest officials estimate that over 150 wild elephants routinely inhabit the Bandhavgarh and Sanjay Dubri Tiger Reserves. Many of these elephants migrate from Chhattisgarh and enter human settlements, particularly tribal villages, increasing the likelihood of conflict. (Source: IANS)
