In yet another major case of man-animal conflict in the State, a wild tusker trampled to death a couple at Dudhakateni village under the Dhenkanal Sadar Forest Range on Tuesday.
The deceased were identified as Dambaru Pradhan and his wife Sukanti of Chaulia Ramei village under the Gondia police station.
Locals said the couple had visited Dambaru’s in-laws’ house to watch an opera and was returning home in the wee hours when the jumbo attacked them near a cashew garden.
While Sukanti succumbed to the injuries at the spot, her husband died at the District Headquarters Hospital.
After the mishap, irate villagers blamed forest officials for the attack and claimed elephant incursion has increased in the area considerably in past few months, but Forest Department did not take any step to drive away the elephants.
Sadar Range Officer Manwar Khan claimed that his department had knowledge regarding the presence of the tusker in the area and taken all precautionary measures.