Panic grips as elephant herd enters Jharkhand's Hazaribag city

HAZARIBAG: Residents were alarmed when elephants were spotted near the city. At 10 am on Sunday, locals noticed elephants close to the agriculture department office along the Hazaribag-Barkagaon road in the Sirsi area.
The incident brought back memories from three years ago when a single elephant had caused devastation in Hazaribag city, resulting in three fatalities. The elephant's presence in the urban area had disrupted daily activities for three days.
"What initially appeared to be a single elephant turned out to be a herd of 10, including two young ones," said a local resident. The herd was positioned near the busy Hazaribag-Barkagaon road, an area known for its educational institutions and upscale residential developments that have emerged recently.
Forest officials are currently monitoring the situation on-site. They reported that one elephant had damaged part of the agriculture office's boundary wall. "We are monitoring the herd so that they don't enter in any of the residential near by," stated an officer.