An elephant was killed and a calf injured after being hit by a train in Dhupguri, Jalpaiguri district early Sunday morning.

The incident occurred at around 3:45 am near the 73/7 railway pillar. The calf was rescued and taken to a local vet hospital.

“We received information about the incident around 4:30 am. One elephant died and one got injured. The area does not fall under an elephant corridor, so there’s no speed restriction for trains passing through,” said Suvendu Roy, Railway Traffic Inspector.

Meanwhile, the locals have expressed concern over the rising human-elephant conflict in the area, citing widespread encroachment and shrinking habitats.

The forest officials stated that human-elephant conflict is frequent, with elephants raiding villages and agricultural lands for food, leading to property destruction.