While the electrocution death of seven elephants at Kamalanga village in Dhenkanal district in October had triggered a furore, another elephant was electrocuted in the Hindol area of the district on Wednesday.
Sources said the pachyderm died after coming in contact with a live electric wire that was laid on a farmland in the Dudurkote forest under Hindol Range in the district to protect paddy crops from wild boars.
On receiving information, Forest Department officials rushed to the spot and began an investigation into the incident. Post-mortem of the elephant’s carcass would be conducted following which the exact cause behind its death will be ascertained, said an official.
Meanwhile, locals have expressed their resentment alleging negligence on the part of the Forest and Energy Departments that led to recurrence of such mishaps.
In a related incident, police arrested one more accused in connection with the poaching of a female elephant near Sabar Taila village of Rajnagar area in Cuttack district on December 12.
The accused identified as Deba Dehury was later produced before court, from where he was sent to jail after a court rejected his bail plea.
Earlier, forest personnel had also detained another accused identified as Prasanna Dehury of Rajnagar area in connection with the jumbo death incident.
On December 12, a carcass of a seven-year-old female elephant was found in a pool of blood in a farmland near Taila village under Sukasan forest range of Athagarh.