Elephant mauls watchman to death in Uttarakhand

RUDRAPUR: A 60-year-old watchman was crushed to death by an elephant in the Pipalparao range of the Terai forest on Monday. Kashmir Singh was a resident of Bazpur, US Nagar district, and worked as a watchman in compartment number 24 along with his sons, Binder and Gurjinder. According to the family, the incident occurred when Singh went into the forest, about 400m from his hut, to relieve himself. Suddenly, a wild elephant attacked him, resulting in fatal injuries. When he did not return for a long time, his sons searched for him and found his body in the jungle. Police have sent the body for a postmortem. DFO UC Tiwari assured the family they would receive financial assistance. "After the postmortem report, compensation will be provided to the victim's family as per the norms," he said. Singh's sons, Binder and Gurjinder, said their family, which includes their mother and both brothers' wives, had been working as watchmen in different forest areas, including Bareilly, before shifting to Pipalparao nine months ago.Forest officials have urged villagers to exercise caution, especially during ongoing elephant mating season, when male elephants become more aggressive. DFO Tiwari said, "People should make loud noises when they encounter wild animals, as this often diverts their attention and prevents attacks." Frequent human fatalities due to elephant attacks have been reported in Terai forests, especially among those venturing inside for fodder collection or other needs. The 2020 census recorded 127 elephants in the five forest divisions of the Western Circle, with cross-border movement from Nepal adding to human-elephant conflicts.