Uttar Baradal union in Tahirpur, Sunamganj, lies on the border, and wild elephants are its big problem. They come into settlements, destroying crops and breaking houses, and people have even been injured in their attacks. The people of the area have been fighting to survive for a long time, but no permanent solution has yet been found.

Most recently, on Sunday (6 February), about eight elephants crossed from the Indian border over the Jadukata river into Bangladeshi settlements in search of food.

On the spot, each herd was seen roaming about two kilometres from Baragop Tila to Maharam Tila on the border in search of food, leaving more than 500 people in the border area in difficulty.

Local people said they were preparing to spend the night with lit torches to protect themselves. They said no permanent solution to this struggle between elephants and border people had been found to date.

On the night of 16 November 2021, four wild elephants similarly came from the hills of India's Meghalaya state and stayed at Baragop Tila. They caused heavy damage to Aman paddy and other crops and property and injured three people before leaving. More than 500 people of Baragop Tila, Maharam Tila, Anandapur, Guchhagram and Adarsha Gram have been living in fear of elephants since.

Baragop Tila resident Azizul Haque told Jagonews24 that the herds break trees and damage crops. "We are completely helpless against the elephants. We strongly demand that the government find a permanent solution to protect us from elephant attacks."

Another resident, Md Sajib Hasan, said they would light torches at night to protect themselves.

Tahirpur Upazila Nirbahi Officer Raihan Kabir said local people were being warned by loudspeaker not to disturb the elephants.

Lt Col Md Mahbubur Rahman, commander of the BGB's Sunamganj 28 Battalion, said wild elephants from the Meghalaya hills were reported to have entered the Baragop Tila area. The UNO and the forest department had been informed, and the BGB was asking border residents to stay safe and helping forest staff move the elephants away.

Akil Talukdar, a field worker of the Tahirpur forest department, said they had been at Baragop Tila since the morning after hearing of the elephants, making loudspeaker announcements in all the villages around Baragop Tila and Maharam Tila. "We are working on how to send the elephants back to their own habitat," he said.

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