Woman trampled to death, but saves 2 daughters from rampaging elephant in Chhattisgarh

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A woman lost her life while saving her two young daughters from a wild elephant in Chhattisgarh’s Manendragarh Chirmiri Bharatpur district.

The 28-year-old woman, Itwariya was asleep on Monday night with her daughters, Janki (4) and Ramkali (2), inside their mud house in Dhab village, Janakpur forest range, when an elephant suddenly charged toward their home.

The loud crashing of walls woke Itwariya, who quickly realised the danger. Acting instantly, she grabbed her children and ran outside.

Seeing the elephant closing in, she threw her daughters away from harm moments before being crushed by the rampaging tusker. Her quick thinking saved the lives of Janki and Ramkali, who were later taken to Janakpur Community Health Centre.

Her husband and elder son were away visiting relatives at the time of the incident. By the time villagers reached the spot, Itwariya was dead, her small mud home reduced to ruins.

Janki suffered a fracture in her right leg and was referred to the district hospital, while Ramkali had minor injuries and was discharged after initial treatment.

Locals blame forest department for negligence

The tragedy has left the local community with anger directed at the forest department. Villagers claim that officials have repeatedly failed to warn them about elephants entering the area. “The staff never inform us when elephants enter the area. They come only after someone is killed,” TOI quoted Shankar Singh, a local, as saying.

Forest department officials stated that a team was tracking the elephant’s movement and that compensation procedures for Itwariya’s family were being initiated. However, locals believe more proactive measures are needed to prevent such tragedies in the future.

Villagers in the area often try to scare away elephants using drums, torches, or by burning chillies, while some approach the animals out of curiosity, sometimes to take selfies. As per the TOI report, forest officials have been conducting awareness campaigns to educate locals on how to safely handle encounters with wild elephants and reduce human-wildlife conflicts.