Boko (Assam). A two-year-old girl was killed and her mother injured when forest department personnel fired at a herd of wild elephants in Assam’s Kamrup rural district. The elephants have also injured another person in the district. Police said on Friday that the forest department personnel were engaged in driving away the wild elephants who were creating terror in Bondopara of Boko area for the past several days and during this accident on Thursday night, a bullet hit the girl and her mother, who were at their house. was sitting outside.
The girl was in her mother’s lap at that time. Forest personnel took the two to a hospital in Boko, where the girl was declared brought dead and her mother was admitted to Gauhati Medical College Hospital (GMCH) in a critical condition. Meanwhile, elephants attacked and injured a farmer. The injured have been admitted to GMCH.
Angry local residents on Friday blocked National Highway 17 during a protest against the child’s death and urged the government to take steps to prevent damage to crops by wild elephants. Environment and Forest Minister Parimal Shuklabaidya told PTI in Guwahati that a high-level team of forest officials has been sent to the area to find out how the girl died and will also review the prevailing situation there.
He said, “This incident is unfortunate and tragic. The death of the girl child cannot be compensated in any way but I have directed the authorities to immediately give ex-gratia amount to the bereaved family.” (agency)