A tragic incident unfolded in Alipurduar district, West Bengal, where three members of a family, including a one-month-old infant, lost their lives in a harrowing elephant attack. The event occurred in the early hours of Saturday in the Kunjanagar area, within the Falakata block, casting a pall of grief over the community.

The victims have been identified as Manoj Das, 35, his mother, Makhanrani Das, 68, and his infant daughter, Manisha, only 35 days old. According to reports, a herd of approximately 20 elephants strayed into Kunjanagar village from the neighboring Jaldapara National Park. A lone tusker then veered off towards the Sabhapati More area, where the fatal encounter took place.

Manoj Das, upon hearing the trumpeting of the elephant, ventured outside his home. He was tragically confronted by the tusker and was subsequently trampled to death. Hearing her son's cries for help, Makhanrani Das rushed out of the house, carrying her infant granddaughter, Manisha. In a devastating turn of events, the elephant attacked Makhanrani, causing her to drop Manisha. Both Makhanrani and the infant were then trampled by the elephant, resulting in their immediate demise.

Following the gruesome incident, the three bodies were rushed to Falakata Superspecialty Hospital, where they were pronounced dead. The incident has sparked outrage and protests among the local community, who are demanding immediate action to prevent further human-wildlife conflict.

Villagers have blocked the Kunjanagar-Falakata road, staging demonstrations and setting tires ablaze to express their anger towards the forest department. They allege negligence in maintaining the electric fences that are meant to keep elephants away from residential areas. The villagers claim that these fences have been repeatedly damaged or removed by sand mafias involved in illegal sand mining, leaving the community vulnerable to wild animal incursions.

The protesters are demanding the immediate repair of the electric fences, stricter monitoring of the area, and more effective measures to prevent elephants from entering human settlements. They emphasize that the removal of the protective barriers has led to frequent encounters with elephants and other wild animals, increasing the risk of such tragic incidents.

In response to the incident, the forest department has assured compensation to the bereaved family and stated that they are forming squads involving locals to ward off wild elephants straying into human settlements. They have also advised people not to come near any elephant. This incident underscores the escalating human-wildlife conflict in the region, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable solutions that protect both human lives and the natural habitats of elephants.