Keonjhar: On Friday, four individuals, including a couple, lost their lives due to separate elephant attacks in the Keonjhar district, as reported by officials. The deceased have been identified as Ranjit Munda, aged 69, from Badhunidhara in the Janghira range, along with Rina Munda, 40, and Santosh Munda, 45, from Kendudihi village in the Barbil range. The identity of the fourth victim, a young man who was killed near Kalimati village in the Champua range, remains unknown.

Forest officials indicated that Rina and Santosh were gathering firewood when they were ambushed by elephants. Rina died instantly, while Santosh later succumbed to his injuries. In a display of anger, local villagers attacked a forest official and demanded compensation before allowing the deceased's bodies to be released. In Janghira, Ranjit Munda was killed while attempting to fend off a herd near Budhakhaman village. In Champua, a young man was trampled around 6:25 PM near a government weighing bridge. The situation escalated as locals blocked roads, insisting on compensation. Police intervened to rescue detained forest personnel. Barbil SDPO Debendra Kumar Pingua confirmed that officials were unharmed. At the time of reporting, forest officers had not yet reached the Champua incident site. The ongoing issue of elephant incursions and the resulting fatalities in Barbil have sparked significant unrest among the local population.