Chaibasa, Jharkhand: Fear and anxiety grip several villages in West Singhbhum district as residents take extraordinary measures to protect themselves from a marauding elephant that has claimed 20 lives so far. Villagers are sleeping on rooftops, crowding into the few concrete houses available, and forming night watch groups, as authorities continue their search for the elusive tusker.

Among the most affected is 13-year-old Jaipal Singh Meral of Barbaria village, the sole survivor of a tragic elephant attack that wiped out almost his entire family on the night of January 6. He lost his father, Sanatan Meral, mother Joloko Kui, younger sister Damyanti, and younger brother Mungdu, while his younger sister Sushila sustained a leg fracture and is undergoing treatment at Noamundi hospital. Traumatised by the incident, Jaipal has stopped eating, speaking, and attending school, leaving villagers deeply concerned. “He has gone silent. We have to force him to eat. He witnessed the entire incident,” said his maternal uncle, Tupra Laguri, with whom the boy is now staying.

The tusker’s attacks have spread panic across villages bordering Odisha, leading residents to abandon their thatched huts at night. In Benisagar village under Majhgaon block, villagers huddle together in the only three concrete houses available, spreading hay on rooftops and sleeping under tarpaulin sheets to avoid the elephant. “People are terrified. No one feels safe sleeping on the ground,” said Pratap Chandra Chattar, mukhiya of Kharpos panchayat, noting that forest officials have warned the elephant directly targets human dwellings.

The latest fatality occurred in Benisagar on January 9, when a JCB driver, Prakash Das, was trampled to death. This marked the 20th casualty attributed to the animal, the highest toll caused by a single elephant in Jharkhand so far. Similar scenes of fear and sleepless nights have been reported from neighbouring villages. Vivek Purty, mukhiya of Ghorabandha panchayat, said, “Many are sleeping on rooftops of concrete houses to avoid attacks.”

In Barbaria panchayat, where five villagers were killed, the community has taken proactive steps to ensure safety. Rup Singh Laguri, brother of the local mukhiya, said night watch groups have been formed, comprising nearly 25 youths armed with torches, firecrackers, and sticks. “If the elephant is sighted, we alert everyone and try to drive it away,” he explained.

Despite these efforts, forest officials acknowledge the difficulty of tracking the animal. The tusker has not been sighted since January 9. Regional Chief Conservator of Forests, Smitha Pankaj, said joint teams from Jharkhand and Odisha are continuing their search. “It is possible the elephant’s ‘musth’ period has subsided, which may explain the absence of fresh casualties,” she noted. Chaibasa Divisional Forest Officer Aditya Narayan added, “We remain in constant touch with Odisha officials. There has been no casualty on either side after January 9, but the animal’s status can only be confirmed once it is tracked.”

Even advanced tools like thermal drones have so far failed to locate the elephant, said forest constable Jaishree Sumbrui from Kotgarh in Noamundi.

Experts attribute the increasing human-elephant conflict in Jharkhand to habitat loss and environmental pressures. Former State Wildlife Board member D.S. Srivastava explained, “Mining, development work, and destruction of forest corridors have pushed elephants into human settlements. Food scarcity, especially of bamboo, forces them to raid fields and villages.”

The situation has left communities on high alert. Villagers are improvising safety measures while hoping for a permanent solution from forest authorities. The psychological impact of the attacks, particularly on children like Jaipal, underscores the human cost of the escalating conflict. With the tusker’s whereabouts still unknown, local populations continue to live in fear, taking every possible precaution to survive until the animal is captured or moves away from human settlements.

This crisis highlights the urgent need for improved wildlife management strategies, sustainable habitat conservation, and proactive measures to mitigate human-elephant conflict in regions experiencing rapid ecological disruption. Forest officials have pledged continued monitoring and community engagement to prevent further casualties, but for villagers in West Singhbhum, each night remains a tense struggle for survival.