Kathmandu,November 25
The mud-plastered walls and thatched roof of the small hut were the only shelter 45-year-old Dhana Bista of Bankatti Syaule in Bhimdatta Municipality-14, Kanchanpur, had against the monsoon rains and biting winter cold.
The house was not hers, nor was the land it stood on. The land belonged to her brother. Battling extreme poverty, Dhana had worked hard to arrange a place for her family to live and had been struggling to support them.
Of her two children, her 16-year-old daughter left for India for work a few months ago. Dhana lived in the hut with her husband and 9-year-old son.
On Wednesday night, Dhana was fast asleep when she woke to villagers shouting and screaming. It was around 3 am.
A wild elephant from Shuklaphanta National Park had entered the settlement. Dhana’s hut became its target. With a single blow, the elephant smashed part of the structure.
Awakened by the noise and the attack, Dhana’s husband managed to escape.
But as Dhana tried to step out through the doorway, the elephant caught her. It grabbed her with its trunk, shook her violently, and hurled her aside. When she fell to the ground, the elephant did not stop it trampled her repeatedly before moving away.
After the elephant left, locals rushed to the scene. She was still breathing.
Residents took her to Mahakali Provincial Hospital in Mahendranagar. Sadly, the family’s main caregiver, Dhana, could not survive. She died during treatment.
Security personnel from the Nepali Army and the District Police Office reached the site after they were informed by locals.
By then, the elephant had already destroyed the area and moved on.
District Police Chief SP Khadkabahadur Khatri confirmed that the woman had died in the elephant attack. “As soon as we were informed, we deployed a team,” he said. “Dhana Bista succumbed to her injuries during treatment.”
According to DSP Sagar Bohara, spokesperson for the District Police Office, the elephant had come from Shuklaphanta National Park.
After the incident, Bhimdatta Mayor Padam Bogati, Deputy Mayor Nilam Lekhak, SP Khatri, Buffer Zone Chairperson Love Bista, and ward chairs from wards 13 and 14 visited the site.
Ward 13 resident Birendra Od said locals complained to the officials that elephants frequently leave the reserve, destroying crops, demolishing homes, and even taking lives.
Community members have demanded relief, compensation, and necessary support for the bereaved Bista family.
