Guarding The Booth: The Battle Against Leopard Fear In North Bengal

Even in areas where fear of leopards and elephants is a daily reality, polling does not come to a halt. In Jalpaiguri district, ensuring safe and fear-free polling in booths located near forests and tea gardens has become a major challenge - not only for the Election Commission but also for forest department personnel as Bengal goes to polls.

Jalpaiguri district has a total of seven Assembly constituencies -Dhupguri, Maynaguri, Jalpaiguri, Rajganj, Mal, Nagrakata, and parts of Madarihat block. Many polling stations in these constituencies are situated close to forests and forest villages. The district has more than 100 forest settlements, most of which are known for frequent wildlife movement and conflict.

Recently, in the Kherkata area of Nagrakata block, multiple fatalities were reported due to leopard attacks. In the past, several residents have also lost their lives in elephant attacks. As a result, movement in these forest-adjacent areas becomes extremely risky, especially after evening hours.

According to locals, leopards are often spotted in narrow tea garden paths, lanes, and bushes as dusk approaches. In many cases, these very routes lead to polling stations, creating fear among forest village residents about stepping out to vote.

Concerns are particularly high around certain polling booths. For instance, two booths have been set up at Khyerkata Hindi Primary School under Nagrakata Assembly constituency. The school is surrounded by forest and sparse habitation, and has reportedly been attacked by elephants more than 17 times in recent years. Holding polling at the same location has naturally raised anxiety.

Similarly, another primary school near Khattimari Beat under Moraghat Range in Gayerkata also houses two polling booths. This building too has been damaged multiple times by wild elephants, making election duty risky for both polling and forest staff.

To tackle the situation, the Election Commission has adopted multi-layered security measures. Along with the deployment of central forces to prevent unrest, forest personnel have been assigned additional responsibility in booths near forest areas. Joint patrolling will be carried out by forest officials, police, and central forces in forest-adjacent polling stations and connecting routes.

Forest workers are also conducting regular patrols and spreading awareness among local residents on how to stay safe if they encounter wild animals. Polling personnel will be provided with emergency contact numbers to ensure quick response in case of any danger.

According to data, in the past six months, seven leopards have been captured from tea garden areas under the Binnaguri Wildlife Squad.

In the last one year, leopard attacks have claimed two lives and injured at least 35 people. Elephant attacks have also resulted in several deaths and injuries. Naturally, residents remain anxious about visiting polling stations in such conditions, as echoed by political parties and tea garden communities.

Himadri Debnath, Ranger of the Binnaguri Wildlife Squad, said, "The movement of leopards and elephants has increased in tea garden areas. Ensuring that residents can safely go out and vote is our primary challenge. Awareness campaigns have already been intensified in forest villages and elephant corridor areas. People are being informed about safe movement during polling day. Necessary measures will also be taken to ensure the safety of polling personnel, and patrolling will be intensified in forest and tea garden areas."

Mohammad Arif Ansari, a tea garden resident, said, "Elephants frequently enter our locality from the forest. There have been deaths due to elephant attacks, and many have been injured by leopards. Since polling booths are located in the same areas, there is fear about going to vote. We want the Election Commission to ensure proper safety so that we can vote without fear."

(With inputs from Roni Chowdhury)