Alipurduar, July 08 (Siliguri Chronicle) – A wild elephant wandered into a wedding in West Bengal’s Alipurduar district early Monday, triggering panic among guests. Fortunately, no one was injured.
The incident took place around 12:30am in Suripara village under Salkumarhat-2 gram panchayat, about 32km from Alipurduar town, near the edge of the Jaldapara forest.
The wedding of Prakash Roy’s daughter had just ended, and guests had settled down for dinner when panic broke out. A woman spotted a wild elephant near the wedding kitchen and screamed, sending everyone rushing out of the house.
Sources say the tusker may have been unsettled by the loud music and bright lights earlier in the evening, which kept it from approaching the venue. Instead, it took shelter near the Roy family’s home. Later, it wandered into the compound of Roy’s neighbour, Somaru Barman, and feasted on jackfruits. The elephant neared the wedding kitchen shortly after midnight.
In a bid to drive the elephant away, villagers burst firecrackers that were originally meant for the wedding celebrations. The tusker lingered in the area for about 40 minutes before finally retreating into the forest.
“None of us had any idea the elephant was so close,” said Prakash Roy. “When someone came running in and shouted, we were stunned. Anything could have happened last night.” He expressed relief that no one was hurt.
Sanjoy Rava, the pradhan of Salkumarhat-2 gram panchayat, said: “The lights and sounds probably discouraged the elephant from causing damage. As this village borders the forest, elephants often stray into the area.”
A forest official confirmed that the elephant did not cause any harm during the incident.
