A speech-impaired young man named Nuruzzaman, 23, has died after an attack by an Indian elephant in Tetulia, Panchagarh. He died while being treated at Panchagarh Modern Sadar Hospital on the evening of Tuesday, 20 February.

He was attacked at about 5pm in the South Kashimganj area of Tetulia. Nuruzzaman was the son of Abul Hossain of the area. The two elephants were still in a maize field on the border that night, and locals are frightened.

Locals said Nuruzzaman had gone with others to see the elephants in a border maize field. When an elephant charged, the others ran away, but Nuruzzaman was trampled. Members of the Tetulia fire service rescued him and took him to the upazila health complex and then to Panchagarh Modern Sadar Hospital.

Sujoy Kumar, officer-in-charge of Tetulia Model Police Station, said: "We have heard that a young man attacked by an elephant has died at Panchagarh Sadar Hospital. We are making inquiries. The body will be handed to the family after legal procedures."

Tetulia upazila nirbahi officer Fazle Rabbi said the two elephants were now in a maize field in the border area of Banglabandha. The BSF had opened the Indian barbed-wire fence, and he hoped the elephants would return to India. One person had been killed, he said; locals were being moved to a safe distance and enough police had been deployed in the area.

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