Tension prevailed in parts of Angul district on Wednesday following the death of a woman in a wild elephant attack, which sparked widespread protests and traffic disruptions. The incident occurred in Saharaguda village under Bantala panchayat, where the victim, identified as Sumanta Behera, was attacked by a tusker while collecting water near her residence.
The tragic incident led to public outrage, with locals staging road blockades at Bantala Chhak by burning tyres and obstructing vehicular movement. As a result, traffic on key routes including the Angul–Tikarpada road and the old Cuttack–Sambalpur highway remained disrupted for several hours.
Residents alleged negligence on the part of the Forest Department in preventing frequent elephant intrusions into human settlements. Protesters demanded immediate compensation for the victim’s family and the implementation of effective measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Police and forest officials rushed to the spot and initiated discussions with agitating residents to restore normalcy. Officials assured the locals that compensation would be provided as per government norms and that steps would be taken to strengthen monitoring and control of elephant movement in the region.
Authorities later managed to clear the roadblocks, and traffic movement gradually resumed. Meanwhile, forest officials said additional patrolling and preventive measures would be put in place to reduce human-wildlife conflict in the area.
