Elephant tramples another farmer to death in Telangana

Hyderabad: One more farmer died after being allegedly attacked by a wild elephant in Kumaram Bheem Asifabad district of Telangana on Thursday a day after it trampled another farmer to death, forest department officials said.

Yesterday, the male tusker had strayed into Telangana by crossing Pranahita river from neighbouring Maharashtra and allegedly attacked a farmer while he was working in an agricultural field on the outskirts of Burepalli village of the district.

This is the first time that a wild elephant has entered Telangana, officials said. They added that the state doesn't have any wild tuskers.

The incident today occurred in the victim's fields near Kondapalli village in the district at around 5am to 6am, even as efforts to drive the tusker away continued, officials said.

Officials had earlier said the troublemaker tusker was part of a herd of around 70-75 elephants which were moving to the other side of Pranahita river in Maharashtra.

The Telangana forest department officials had been monitoring the situation after their Maharashtra counterparts informed them about the movement of the herd.

The forest officials have cordoned off the entire area to make sure that the elephant does not enter the village. Efforts are underway to drive it away using fire-crackers, they said.

Meanwhile, district authorities imposed restrictions under CrPC section 144 in the mandals of the district where the elephant was found moving as well as in the nearby areas , a senior official told PTI. All villagers are being informed not to move out of their homes till the situation is under control.