Assam: Mother-son duo trampled to death by elephants in Tinsukia’s Pengeri

Digboi: A mother and her son lost their lives after being attacked by a herd of wild elephants at Brahmajan Tea Estate in Pengeri locations in Digboi of Tinsukia, Assam, on Friday night.

As per officials, the deceased were identified as Budhan Rautiya (50) and his mother Anita Rautiya (70).

Both of them were residents of the tea garden's labour quarters.

Locals said that the area often witnesses elephant invasions and are always terrified of situations like this.

A villager claimed that the forest department is to be blamed for the “tragic incident”, adding that the loss of lives could have been prevented had the department been more alert.

He added that the officials were supposed to track the movement of wild elephants and, if not prevent them from entering villages, they could have taken steps to “at least prevent attacks on locals” by such herds.

Friday’s attack took place around midnight when the villagers were sleeping. It has been suspected that the herd may have entered the village in search of food and attacked the mother and son during their sleep.

The villagers said that the attack was an unprovoked one.

The elephants forcefully entered the house where the mother and son were sleeping, trampling them to death on the spot with their feet.

All the elephants reportedly belong to a herd from the Khutangpani forest range area under the Doomdooma Forest Division.

The locals further alleged that despite repeated incidents of crop damage, property destruction, and threats to life, the Forest Department has failed to take effective measures to prevent or mitigate these conflicts.

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