Dehra Dun, May 29
A rogue tusker today went berserk killing four persons and injuring nearly half a dozen others, one of them seriously, before being gunned down. Lone tusker from Rajaji National Park came out of the forests and started attacking people and bulldozing houses on the periphery of the park in Hardwar district.

The elephant went to Ransura village in Laksar area of the district and killed Ismail (60) besides injuring five others. The rogue tusker then entered nearby Buraheri village and killed Riyasat (55), besides bulldozing fences and outer walls of the houses.

Senior district civil and police officials followed the elephant as it entered Ranipur Jhal area. The Hardwar district administration requested the chief wildlife warden to declare the elephant as rogue.

Uttarakhand chief wildlife warden Shrikant Chandola himself went to the spot to supervise the operation against the wild tusker. “We declared the tusker as rogue at 3 pm and then shot it dead as the animal was dangerous. It was sad a decision to kill a full grown 40-year-old majestic animal,” he told The Tribune.