A retired army officer, Sandeep Choudhury (55), was killed after being trampled by a trained Kunki elephant named Jonaki near Rajabhatkhawa railway station in Alipurduar. He was taken to Alipurduar District Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
Choudhury, a retired lieutenant colonel from Noida, had joined a private technology company working on AI-based systems to prevent train-elephant collisions. The incident occurred during a trial run for this system, which aims to protect wildlife from train accidents in North Bengal’s dense forests.
Senior railway officials, including Northeast Frontier Railway General Manager Chetankumar Srivastava, were present at the site. Reports suggest the elephant suddenly charged, giving Choudhury little time to react. The reason for its aggression is still unknown.
North Bengal’s railway tracks pass through forests where many wild animals, including elephants, have died in train accidents. Since 2003, over 80 elephants have been killed on the Dooars railway stretch. To address this, authorities have been installing an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to alert train drivers when an elephant is near the tracks.
The trial run involved the Kanchanakanya Express passing through the area when the accident happened. Environmentalists have long demanded stricter measures, such as slower train speeds, fencing, and better monitoring, to prevent such tragedies.
Railway and forest officials are now reviewing safety protocols to ensure better protection for both wildlife and human workers in the region.
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