A herd of bohiragoto: Jhargram elephant herd returns to Dalma as issue shapes Bengal election debate
Telegraph | 20 April 2026
Among the many epoch-making events of 2011, an elephantine problem that has lingered since then appears to have ebbed in Bengal’s election season.
A herd of 38 elephants that entered Jhargram from neighbouring Jharkhand and remained entrenched in Bengal’s jungles for 15 years has finally been driven back home to the Dalma forest.
The jumbo retreat, predictably, has become election fodder with the BJP accusing Trinamool of inaction on persistent man-animal conflict and the Bengal ruling party drawing attention to the steps the government has taken to curb such confrontation and bolster forest management systems.
The elephants trundled 150km through the dense forests and hilly laterite terrain of Jhargram to reach the Dalma range in Jharkhand. The journey, which snaked through Kakrajhore, began on March 4 with a renewed push from foresters and ended on April 13.
Having endured years of man-animal conflicts and loss of life and property, the residents of Jhargram have heaved a sigh of relief, as have the foresters.
“It was a grand success for the forest department as the Kakrajhore-Dalapani corridor has been reactivated. This is the first time in 15 years that a herd of elephants has moved back to Dalma. We expect this trend to continue,” said Jhargram divisional forest officer Umar Imam.
Jumbos have long been a headache for the Jhargram administration because of the increasing man-animal conflict. Loss of lives, crop damage, destruction of homes, and road blockades have kept residents in the forest zone on the edge.
The BJP has successfully pitched the elephant issue in this crucial election in Jhargram, where Trinamool had won all four seats in 2021.
“The state government had failed to mitigate the crisis although the forest minister (Birbaha Hansda) is from Jharkhand. Elephants will live in forests, and people will be in their homes. The government’s role was to prevent that conflict. Our government will ensure a robust plan,” said Tufan Mahata, BJP’s Jhargram president. The party has fielded Lakhshmikanta Sau from the constituency.
Before the exit of the 38 elephants, Jhargram and other Jungle Mahal regions had around 200 elephants. Of these, at least 100 have roots in Dalma, while the rest had migrated over time from Odisha’s Mayurbhanj.
Sources in the forest department said elephants were rare in Jhargram, Bankura’s Barjora and adjoining forests until the 1990s. Gradually, herds began migrating to Bengal, mainly from the neighbouring Dalma range and Mayurbhanj.
In earlier years, elephants used to visit Bengal after the monsoon, primarily in search of food. A forester said this pattern of seasonal migration stopped around 20 years ago.
“Elephants are a major issue during elections. Hula party members get busy guarding booth areas. If there are 200 elephants and 38 of them are now out of our jurisdiction, it is certainly a relief as we have to manage at least 20 per cent fewer animals,” a forester said.
The man-animal conflict in Jhargram became severe in 2022-23, when 26 people were killed in elephant attacks. The number dropped to 17 the following year, but public anxiety increased, leading to significant anti-incumbency against the Mamata Banerjee government. However, the number of deaths has been controlled over the past two financial years, with six deaths reported each year.
Despite this, people have serious allegations against the government over its management and failure to control the man-elephant conflict.
Shyam Sundar Mahata, 50, who has been organising protests over the livelihood crisis caused by elephant attacks, said the herd’s departure was not enough and villagers wanted a permanent solution.
“Our livelihood gets affected because of elephants. They block roads, damage crops and cause multiple problems. The number of elephants may decrease or increase, but we need a permanent solution,” Mahata said.
The elephants’ exit has brought relief to Trinamool in the run-up to the polls.
Hansda, the forest minister and former Jhargram MLA who is contesting from the adjacent Binpur constituency, said the government had spent ₹300 crore to build a robust forest management system to reduce man-animal conflict.
Mongal Saren, the Trinamool nominee from Jhargram, said he had been trying to make people understand that elephants were a gift of nature and that humans and animals must coexist. “Our government stands with the people, but we must accept elephants as well. I assure you there will be a robust plan that will suit both elephants and human beings,” Saren said.