Fresh panic gripped parts of Nagaon district after five people, including a woman, were injured during an operation carried out by the Forest Department to control a wild elephant in the Borma area on May 14.

According to local sources, officials from the Assam Forest Department, including teams from the Shalna and Udmari forest ranges, were attempting to drive away a wild elephant that had entered the locality and created panic among residents. During the operation, forest personnel reportedly fired warning shots into the air in an attempt to control and disperse the elephant.

However, the situation turned chaotic after stray bullet fragments allegedly hit several nearby residents, leaving five people injured. The injured were immediately taken by forest officials to Samaguri Primary Health Centre for treatment.

The injured have been identified as Abdul Rahman, Dulena Khatun and Khalilur Rahman, while the identities of two others were yet to be confirmed at the time of reporting. All the injured are reportedly residents of Bormabil village.

Doctors later discharged all five injured persons after providing preliminary medical treatment.

Despite the operation, the wild elephant was reportedly still roaming in the Borma area till the filing of this report, keeping local residents on edge.

Local residents alleged that similar incidents involving wild elephants have occurred earlier in the region as well, with repeated elephant intrusions damaging crops, threatening human lives and disrupting normal village life. Villagers claimed that the growing human-elephant conflict has become a recurring concern across several parts of Assam, especially during the night hours when elephants enter human settlements in search of food.

The latest incident comes amid increasing reports of wild elephant movement across rural areas of Assam. In another recent case, residents of Sukuniya-Pukhuripara in the Boko area have been facing severe hardship due to frequent attacks by a herd of nearly 30 wild elephants.

According to villagers there, the elephant herd has been entering residential and agricultural areas almost every night in search of food, triggering fear and sleepless nights among local residents. The elephants have reportedly destroyed banana plantations, betel nut trees and standing crops, severely affecting the livelihoods of farming families.

Residents alleged that continuous rainfall has worsened the situation, making it even more difficult for villagers to protect their homes and farmlands from elephant attacks.

Locals from both affected regions have urged the authorities and the Forest Department to adopt stronger preventive measures to manage wild elephant movement, protect human settlements and reduce damage to crops and property while also ensuring the safety of the animals.

The repeated incidents have once again highlighted the growing challenge of human-elephant conflict in Assam and the urgent need for long-term mitigation measures in vulnerable rural areas.