Wild elephants on rampage, prohibitory orders in north Bengal town

Prohibitory orders under IPC Section 144 were imposed in Jalpaiguri in north Bengal on Sunday after two wild elephants strayed into the town and are on a rampage, forest officials said.

The elephants entered the town around 2.30 am, and after knocking down the boundary wall of Biswa Bangla Covid Hospital, it went towards Netaji Para, they said.

The elephants then went to a bush adjacent to AC College, they added.

The pachyderms could have entered the town from the nearby Bedaganj or Baikunthapur forests, Jalpaiguri District Forest Officer Mridul Kumar said.

Forest personnel are keeping a close watch on the elephants, and trying to chase them out of the town, he said.

The prohibitory orders were issued to keep the ''over-enthusiastic'' people away from the animals, Kumar said.

''Usually, these wild elephants go to the forest only after dark,'' he said.