Tezpur: Two people were killed in separate elephant attacks in Assam’s Dhekiajuli on Tuesday morning, taking the number of deaths linked to human-elephant conflict (HEC) in the state to five in the past 16 days.

The deceased were identified as Rahmat Ali of No. 2 Pirakata and Ganesh Toppo of Ratunjuli.

The latest attacks took place around 7 am as the victims were coming out of their houses, according to local residents.

Toppo was walking with his two children at around 6.30 am when a wild elephant that had emerged from a nearby forest attacked them, a local resident said. Toppo was reportedly attacked while trying to protect his children.

The two children, aged around five and seven, sustained injuries in the attack.

Residents said the area has witnessed recurring elephant incursions and attacks in recent years. One resident said the area had witnessed one or two elephant-related deaths annually over the past few years and urged the Forest Department to intervene.

The latest deaths come amid a series of fatal human-elephant encounters in Assam this month.

Two people were killed in separate elephant attacks on September 6 and 7, while another person was killed in Goalpara on September 14.

On September 6, Assam Police havildar Amzad Ali was attacked by a wild elephant at the 17th Assam Police Battalion camp in Dakurbhita, Goalpara.

The following day, 39-year-old farmer Umakanta Moran was trampled to death by a wild elephant in Digboi while returning home on a motorcycle.

The repeated deaths have renewed concerns over the persistent human-elephant conflict in Assam.

Forest Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah said in July that nearly 150 people lose their lives every year in human-elephant conflict across the state, while elephant-related crop damage continues to affect farmers’ livelihoods.

The Assam government informed the Assembly that 1,147 people had been killed in human-elephant conflict in the state over the past decade, including 138 deaths in 2025.

The government has announced a two-pronged strategy to address the conflict, combining faster compensation for victims’ families with long-term measures aimed at reducing encounters between people and wild elephants.

Under the compensation mechanism, the next of kin of people killed in elephant attacks are to receive Rs 6 lakh as ex gratia within 72 hours of the death.

District administrations have been directed to ensure timely disbursal of the compensation, with local MLAs expected to facilitate the process.