Karbi Anglong: Widespread panic has gripped several villages in West Karbi Anglong district as a herd of wild elephants continues to stray into human settlements, destroying paddy and sugarcane fields both day and night. The situation turned alarming after two elephants were electrocuted on October 22 near Kharikhana Bill Gaon along the Hojai–West Karbi Anglong border, prompting the surviving herd to move deeper into nearby villages.
Villages such as Majgaon, Kheroni Nepali Basti, Bagisadubi, Dhikreng (Nawgharwa), Lambapathar, Ranaima, Purana Basti, and Watizor, among others, have suffered extensive damage. Farmers report that large portions of their ripe paddy and sugarcane crops have been trampled or uprooted, leaving them devastated just ahead of the harvest season.
“The elephants come out both day and night. We’ve lost everything — our paddy is flattened, and sugarcane destroyed. How will we feed our families?” lamented one distressed farmer as villagers gathered to assess the losses.
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Local residents have accused the forest department of negligence, claiming that no effective measures such as solar fencing, night patrols, or herd diversion have been implemented to control the situation. The repeated incursions have intensified man-animal conflict in the region, forcing villagers to stay on constant alert.
The question of compensation has now become a major concern. Affected cultivators have demanded immediate relief and fair compensation from the forest and agriculture departments, stressing that their livelihoods have been completely upended by the destruction.
Forest officials were unavailable for comment, but sources within the department indicated that teams are monitoring the herd’s movement and exploring safe ways to drive the elephants back into the forest. Meanwhile, residents continue to live in fear as the herd remains active in the area, and calls for urgent government intervention grow louder with each passing day.
