GUWAHATI: The carcass of an elephant was discovered in the Udaipur area of the Rani Reserve Forest of Guwahati on Friday, September 3.
Police said the elephant died after coming into contact with a live electrical fence installed around a paddy field. Two persons have been arrested in connection with the incident.
Eyewitnesses to the incident told G Plus that there were a total of four elephants crossing the field, one of which happened to touch a live wire. The area is frequented by herds of elephants that often come into contact with villages and cultivated fields, leading to incidents of human-animal conflict.
This has prompted some local farmers to illegally put up electric fences and wires to deter elephants from entering and ravaging their fields.
A senior official of the Rani Police Outpost confirmed to G Plus that two persons have been arrested in connection to the elephant's death. They have been handed over to the Forest Department for due process.
According to the response to a Right to Information (RTI) request filed by this correspondent, elephant deaths due to electrocution are a common occurrence in Assam. There were a total of 57 elephants electrocuted between 2017 and 2020. A total of 302 elephants died across the State in the same period.