Dehradun: A tragic incident took place in Jolly Grant, Dehradun, on Wednesday. An elderly couple who had gone to the forest in Upper Jolly Grant were trampled to death by an elephant. Both had gone to the forest to collect fodder and wood. The incident has caused an uproar in the house of the deceased couple.
Rajendra Panwar (70), a resident of Jolly Grant, had gone to the Ramnagar compartment under Thano forest range forest with his wife Sushila Panwar (65) on Wednesday morning to collect grass and wood. About half a kilometer inside the forest, an elephant trampled the couple to death.
Some women found the deceased bodies
After some time, some women from nearby areas went to collect fodder on the same road and discovered the incident. Upon receiving information from them, local resident Rakesh Dobhal informed Jolly Grant police about the accident. The police, along with the villagers, reached the forest at around 3:30 pm. On the site, the bodies of the husband and wife were found lying at a distance of about ten meters. Both bodies were flattened, and elephant dung was lying nearby. It is suspected that the elephant may have attacked one of them first, and when the other tried to save them, the elephant attacked them too.
Commotion in the house of the deceased couple
The bodies were brought out wrapped in sheets and carried on separate shoulders with the help of a wooden stick. The SDRF reached the spot and took both bodies to Jolly Grant mortuary. On receiving the information, there was commotion in the house of the deceased couple. A large number of people, including local MLA Brijbhushan Gairola, reached the house of the deceased. The forest department gave Rs. 2 lakh each. Forest officials reached the house of the deceased couple and gave cheques of Rs. 2 lakh each to their son. Ranger NL Dobhal, who accompanied him, said that besides this, other prescribed amounts will also be given to the victim’s family soon. He appealed to the people not to go into the forest.
