Agartala: A wild elephant crushed a tribal youth to death on the spot in the deep jungles of Tripura, a northeastern Indian state.

Braja Sadhan Jamatia, 25, was crushed to death on June 20 morning at Hatipara near Maharani under Udaipur subdivision.

Jamtia had gone to the jungles in Hatipara to collect wood and wild herbals for consumption. Suddenly an elephant prowling in the area lifted him with its trunk and threw him down on the ground before smashing him to death with his foot.

This incident has triggered panic among villagers living near Hatipara as they fear ampaging herd of elephants. Sources in the forest department said that despite a drastic depletion in numbers the few elephants moving in herds pose a major menace to lives and properties.

“There are times when the elephant herds descend to the paddy fields and consume large quantities of paddy and other horticultural products besides destroying thatched and mud houses but this is the first killing after many years,” said a senior official of forest department from Udaipur.

Source: news.webindia123.com