A woman was killed and another critically injured in an elephant attack in Alipurduar district on Saturday afternoon.

Sources said a group of around six women from Ravabusty walked into the Jaldapara National Park to catch fish from a stream that flows through the forest. “They moved into the Mendabari-I compartment under the Chilapata forest range of the park. Due to lack of rainfall over the past few weeks, the water level has receded in the stream and they felt it would be easy to catch fish,” said a source.

While they were fishing, a wild tusker reached the area and attacked the group. It trampled Sarjon Rava to death while Niranti Rava was injured. The other members of the group managed to run away and informed the villagers. The villagers informed the foresters who reached the spot in a vehicle. They recovered Sarjon’s body and took Niranti to the Alipurduar district hospital. She is under treatment at the intensive care unit.

Later, the foresters also visited the spot. “Time and again, we have appealed to villagers who live on the fringes of reserve forest areas not to risk their lives and enter the forest. Even then, some of them enter the forest. It is an unfortunate incident but as it has happened inside the forest area, they will not get any compensation,” said Parveen Kaswan, the divisional forest officer of Jaldapara wildlife division.