Dutta had issued a video message and said if the post mortem report is not published by June 5, which is the World Environment Day, then it will indicate that the elephants were killed by direct or indirect influence of some officials of the Forest Department.
The 18 wild elephants, found dead in Nagaon district of Assam last month, were killed due to accidental electrocution by lightning, the post-mortem examination confirmed.
GUWAHATI: In what could be the first known instance of an entire pachyderm herd being wiped out in a lightning strike anywhere in the northeast, the corpses of 18 adult elephants were found scattered across a proposed sanctuary in central Assam’s Nagaon district on Thursday morning, hours after a storm blew over.
“Fourteen of the elephants were found dead atop a hill while the rest were at the foot of the elevated portion of the Kundoli reserve forest under Kathiatoli range,” principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) Amit Sahay said. “The animals were probably huddled together when a bolt of lightning struck during the severe storm on Wednesday night.”