Minor electrocuted at Teliamura

A livewire trap laid to stay safe has taken a tragic turn in Tripura as a 13-year old boy fell victim to an electric trap and died. Villagers used hook lines to lay the trap in which the unsuspecting boy fell and succumbed at a hospital.

The incident took place at Chakmaghat area on Tuesday morning. The minor boy – Pranajit Das was found lying in farmland after being electrocuted. Villagers rushed him to Teliamura Sub-division Hospital, however, the boy died.

Local sources said, common people are almost regularly facing the wrath of rampaging wild elephants in areas surrounding Chakmaghat. On several occasions in the past, elephants sneaked into human habitat and destroyed crops.

“With shrinking forest land and loss of its own habitat, elephants are very often entering into villages in search of food. During nights, elephants create havoc in farmlands and destroy crops”, said a villager and added, elephant attacks are very common and regular incidence at adjoining areas in Chakmaghat.

Forest Department has failed to protect the people and crops from rampaging elephants. “We have made several pleas to forest personnel to make sustainable and effective measures to stop the intrusion of elephants into villages”, alleged one Mangal Debbarma.

Frustrated and disgruntled at the failure of the Forest department, villagers have decided to lay an electric trap in farmland using hook lines and according, a large area of crops were covered with live electric wire. This trick has kept jumbos at bay, but an unaware minor boy has lost his life.

Local sources said, Pranajit Das, son of Gopal Das, went to a nearby paddy land to collect fodder today morning. As Pranajit touched the ground, he was electrocuted. After a while, villagers found him lying on the field. They took him to the hospital but he succumbed.

A pall of gloom descended in the area.