Guwahati, May 30: In a grim reminder of escalating human-elephant conflict in Assam, a herd of wild elephants destroyed homes and properties in two villages in the Kampur area of Nagaon during the wee hours of Friday, killing two villagers and injuring others. Residents spent a night of horror.
Chahaj Uddin and Hanufa Khatun are the two persons confirmed dead in the attack.
A most horrific encounter took place when a rogue tusker walked into Hanufa Khatun’s house while she was fast asleep. According to residents and relatives, the wild elephant dragging her outside her house and trampling her to death before villagers could gather with torches and firecrackers. Chahaj Uddin was reportedly trampled to death while driving the elephants out from the village when villagers, terrorised by the herd, attempted to defend their properties and family.
According to residents, wild elephants strayed into Kandapara and Ranglubasti villages in throughout the night and smashed properties and trampled on villagers leaving all the residents terrified and shaken. Several others received injury and got their medical help but exact number of injured is yet to be assessed.
The tragedy however, is not an out-of-the-blue affair for many of the villagers. Locals alleged that elephant movements into the region have become very frequent over the past few months and that these herd movements inside human habitations have damaged property and caused panic after dark. Locals complained multiple times about these movements to the authorities but conflict did not diminish.
This latest incident came barely days after two deaths were reported due to elephant attacks from within the Nagaon district.Earlier, five were injured and two reported dead during a wild elephant operation by the forest department in another part of the district.
It may be highlighted that, people are not just facing these animals deep in forests anymore, they are not even safe within the human habitations-and their homes. Many people lose their lives in elephant attacks at agricultural lands, villages and home in increasing numbers. Wildlife researchers and conservationists has warned about fragmentation of elephant corridors, reduction of habitats, encroachment of forest areas, and cultivation of commercial crops such as betel nuts leading the wild animals into conflict with human being. With traditional corridors diminishing, elephants often walk into the human settlements in search of food and movement which cause fatal encounters with the inhabitants.
Data reveals, Assam recorded 502 human deaths due to elephant attacks between 2019-20 and 2024-25, making it one of the worst affected state in terms of human-elephant conflict in India. Research analysing 20 years data revealed that habitat fragmentations and land use change are one of the main cause behind the intensifying conflict.
In conflict affected regions like Nagaon, it’s no longer just about wildlife preservation or management, it is about survivality. And while elephants continue their passage through villages and habitations, many locals say they sleep uneasy wondering whether the next elephant encounter will be in a field, on a village path-or their own doorstep.
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