Two separate incidents of villagers provoking wild elephants in Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh have drawn the attention of the forest department, with videos of both going viral on social media and officials now identifying those involved for action.

The more recent incident took place on Saturday morning around 5 am, when two elephants entered the village of Chharra Tangar in the Gharghooda forest range after moving in from the Chhal range direction. The animals wandered into agricultural fields, and news of their presence quickly drew a large crowd of villagers. In the chaos that followed, children pelted the elephants with stones and burst firecrackers near them. The noise and provocation caused the animals to bolt in panic — a video shows two elephants running together in fright — and the situation turned dangerous for everyone present.

Forest department teams reached the spot after being informed and advised villagers to maintain a safe distance from the animals. Gharghooda range officer-in-charge Vikrant Kumar confirmed that the video clearly shows residents chasing and harassing the elephants. "Those individuals will be identified and action will be taken," he said.

This was not the first such incident in the area. On June 18, another video had emerged from the Charmar forest in the same Gharghooda range, where a group of young men had stoned an elephant while recording themselves for a social media reel. The moment the animal charged at them, the group scattered and fled. Forest officials said that case is also being pursued for identification and action.

Raigarh district is home to a significant elephant population — 162 animals across the Dharamjaigarh and Raigarh forest divisions, including 44 males, 87 females, and 31 calves. Human-elephant conflict has been a persistent issue in the region, and provocative behaviour by villagers — especially younger residents drawn by the prospect of viral content — has added a new dimension to an already sensitive situation.

The district has also seen elephant deaths recently. In a separate and distressing incident in the Chhal forest range, a baby elephant died after getting stuck in marshy ground near a pond. A video showed the mother repeatedly trying to lift her calf using her trunk and legs — three elephant deaths have been recorded in the district over a 17-day period.

Forest department officials have urged residents not to approach, provoke, or attempt to drive away elephants on their own. Further details on the action being initiated against those identified in the videos are awaited.