On the Haluaghat and Dhobaura border in Mymensingh, conflict between people and wild elephants coming down from the hills in search of food is continuing. Three people have died within a month, herds have destroyed paddy on several hectares and smashed at least 50 houses. Many people have taken their cattle and goats and sheltered with relatives to save their lives.

Under the rules, the forest department is to pay compensation for losses caused by wild elephant attacks, for which an application must be made. But victims say they have received no compensation in the past two years despite applying. A mother who lost her son and children who lost their father are living on promises.

On 22 April Farjul (33), son of the late Fazar Ali of Katabari village in Gazir Bhita union, Haluaghat upazila, was killed by elephants while protecting his crops. Then on 2 May village doctor Idris Ali (50), son of the late Tamiz Uddin of Kandapara village in the same union, was trampled to death while protecting his crops. In Ranipur village of Dakshin Maijpara union, Dhobaura upazila, a teenager named Sumon Ahmed (15), son of Abdul Momen, was also killed by elephants.

In Katabari village, Ruma Akter, wife of the dead Farjul Haque, said: "I have a son and a daughter. On the afternoon of Eid day a herd of elephants came and was destroying my paddy and other farmers' paddy. Everyone went together to chase the elephants away to save the crop. At one point Farjul got very close to the elephants. The herd then turned and chased him. He could not get back, fell in the middle of the herd and was trampled to death."

Ruma Akter said he had been the family's only earner. "Since his death I am in great difficulty with two children. I don't know how I will run the household. After he died the upazila nirbahi officer gave Tk 15,000 and said a further Tk 3 lakh would be given as compensation. He asked me to open a bank account and apply. I did that too, but there has been no response. Now nobody asks after us."

Farmer Joynal Mia from the same area said elephants had caused huge losses over the past two years, breaking houses and damaging crops. "For two years we've been hearing we will get compensation, but we've got nothing. We live on promises."

Village doctor Idris Ali, son of the late Tamiz Uddin, was trampled to death in Kandapara village of the same union. The father of five sons and three daughters was killed while chasing elephants with other farmers to protect his own crop.

His son Md Shafiqul Islam said that after his father's death the upazila nirbahi officer came and gave Tk 10,000, and local political leaders also gave Tk 10,000. Nobody has enquired since. He said forest department staff had said Tk 3 lakh would be paid as compensation; he applied accordingly but has had no response.

Umme Kulsum, daughter of the late Tamiz Uddin, said: "Every day elephants come in herds, damaging crops and houses and even killing people. We live in extreme fear. The government is not taking steps to stop the elephants coming, and we can't kill an elephant either: killing one brings a Tk 10 lakh fine and a case. An elephant killed my father. Will my father ever come back? Since he died, the family has fallen into hardship. Our demand is that the government arranges a job for my brother."

Bahendra Chiran of Lamchhapara village in the same union said that since the attacks began this year he has spent nights away from home. "This year they destroyed 10 maunds of rice stored in my house, paddy on 50 decimals of land and several of the village's tubewells. The herd broke many houses in the next village too, and there is no counting how many crops they destroyed. Elephants have been causing damage like this for two years, yet the government is taking no action. We keep hearing we'll get compensation, but in two years we haven't had any."

Forest department sources said 35 people were killed by elephants in the border areas of the four districts of Mymensingh division over nine years from 2014 to 2023. Crops on more than 2,000 hectares were destroyed, and there were another 2,000 incidents of damage to homes and other property. Against this, the government paid about Tk 69 lakh in compensation over the nine years.

The four districts share about 160 km of border, through whose corridors more than a hundred wild elephants enter Bangladesh from Meghalaya in India. To stop them, a 13 km solar-powered fence trap was built on the Jhenaigati border in Sherpur in the 2014–15 financial year, and work on a further 8 km is under way there. A 2 km solar fence has been built at Gopalpur. A proposal for another 25 km of solar fencing, along with planting thorny trees on the border, has reportedly been sent to the ministry.

Gazir Bhita union parishad chairman Md Abdul Mannan said two people had been killed by elephants in the union in the past few days. "We feel unsafe. We want the government to quickly set up traps in the border area to protect people's lives and property."

Haluaghat upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) Mahmud Hasan said compensation and all other matters relating to elephant attacks in the border area are handled by the forest department. "We only take the applications and forward them to the forest department."

Mymensingh divisional forest officer ANM Abdul Wadud said: "We have received 400 applications for losses from elephant attacks and forwarded all of them. Compensation for 30 to 35 applications may come this financial year. Compensation for those recently killed by elephants may come in July. I am applying pressure every day so that the money comes quickly."

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.