A day after two female elephants died due to electrocution in the Tithipali Reserve Forest in Subarnapur district, two forest officials were on Monday placed under suspension for dereliction of duty.
The Subarnapur Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) suspended a Forester and a Forest Guard for dereliction of duty. Besides, four employees of the elephant squad and an elephant tracker were also sacked.
The two jumbos died after coming in contact with a solar fencing wire. It is suspected that someone had charged the wire.
It may be recalled that two forest officials had also been suspended last month for such dereliction of duty. The Bargarh DFO put a Forester and a Forest Guard under suspension for the death of two female elephants on October 23.
The pachyderms had died in the Junani forest after coming in contact with live wires, when they entered into paddy fields in search of food. The wires were reportedly laid down by locals to hunt wild boars.