Jalpaiguri, 13th January: Panic gripped Jalpaiguri city on Monday night after an elephant entered urban areas, triggering chaos and fear among residents. The incident began when a herd of three elephants strayed into the adjacent Karla Valley Tea Estate, where one of the elephants fell into a pit. Following information, forest department personnel rushed to the spot and, after sustained efforts, safely rescued the trapped elephant.
The situation escalated soon after as one elephant became separated from the herd and moved into Jalpaiguri city under the cover of darkness. The animal damaged a house after entering a residential area, narrowly missing a woman of the household, who escaped unhurt. Residents across the locality remained awake through the night amid widespread fear.
According to sources, the elephant was first spotted near the girls’ hostel of AC College before it later wandered into the Rajbari area of the city late at night. On receiving alerts, forest department teams began operations to bring the situation under control.
In the early hours of the morning, the elephant was sighted near the forest behind the Baikunthapur Rajbari. Forest officials subsequently tranquillised the animal and transported it back to the forest, restoring normalcy in the area.