Elephant attacks claim three lives in Assam's Sonitpur and Karbi Anglong
Three people were killed in separate wild elephant encounters in Assam on Tuesday, taking the fortnight's toll to six.
Three people died in separate wild elephant encounters across Assam on Tuesday, with two of the deaths reported from the Dhekiajuli area of Sonitpur district and one from a village in Karbi Anglong.
The Sonitpur victims were identified as Rahmat Ali, a resident of No. 2 Pirakata village, and Ganesh Toppo of Ratanjuli village. The Karbi Anglong victim was Ambika Tokbipi, a woman. The incidents took place between 4 a.m. and 7.30 a.m.
According to local accounts, Ali was doing household work at his home when a wild elephant came out of a nearby forest and damaged his house at around 5.30 a.m. Toppo encountered the same animal in a neighbouring village and died while trying to protect his two children, aged five and seven, who sustained injuries.
Dhekiajuli lies about 130 km northeast of Guwahati, while the Karbi Anglong village is roughly 230 km east of the city.
Wildlife officials said six people have now been killed in human-elephant conflicts in Assam in about a fortnight. The other three deaths occurred in Goalpara district in western Assam and Tinsukia district in the east.
Policeman Amzad Ali was killed on September 6 when a wild elephant raided the 17th Assam Police Battalion camp at Dakurbhita in Goalpara. Umakanta Moran, a 39-year-old farmer, was trampled to death near Digboi in Tinsukia district on September 7. Another person died in a similar incident in Goalpara district on September 14.
Speaking in the 126-member Assembly in July, Forest Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah said about 150 people lose their lives in human-elephant conflicts in the State every year. Official data shows 1,147 people have been killed in such conflicts since 2016, including 138 deaths in 2025.
A few weeks ago, the government announced a two-pronged strategy to tackle the problem, pairing faster compensation for victims' families with long-term measures to reduce encounters with wild elephants. Under the plan, the kin of those killed in human-elephant conflicts are to receive ₹6 lakh as ex-gratia within 72 hours of the death.