Wild elephants kill three people in fresh Assam attacks

Three people died in separate wild elephant attacks across the Assam districts of Sonitpur and Karbi Anglong on September 22, 2026. Two attacks happened in the Dhekiajuli area of Sonitpur district, located roughly 130 kilometres northeast of Guwahati, while the third incident took place in a village in Karbi Anglong, about 230 kilometres east of Guwahati. The attacks occurred between 4 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. The victims were identified as Rahmat Ali from No. 2 Pirakata village, Ganesh Toppo from Ratanjuli village, and a woman named Ambika Tokbipi in Karbi Anglong. Locals stated that a wild elephant came out of a nearby forest and destroyed Ali's home while he was doing chores at around 5:30 a.m. Toppo met the same elephant in a nearby village and died while trying to protect his five-year-old and seven-year-old children, who suffered injuries in the encounter. Wildlife officials noted that six people have died in similar animal conflicts across the state over the past two weeks. Prior to these events, policeman Amzad Ali died on September 6 when an elephant attacked the 17th Assam Police Battalion camp in Goalpara's Dakurbhita, farmer Umakanta Moran was trampled near Digboi in Tinsukia district on September 7, and another person died in Goalpara on September 14. Forest Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah informed the 126-member Assembly in July that roughly 150 people die annually in human-elephant clashes across Assam. State records show that 1,147 people have died in such encounters since 2016, including 138 fatalities in 2025. The government recently rolled out a two-pronged plan to tackle these clashes by speeding up compensation and setting up long-term preventive measures. This plan promises six lakh rupees as relief money to the families of victims within 72 hours of an incident.