Silchar, May 23 -- A 27-year-old farmer from Assam's Tamulpur district was allegedly trampled to death by an elephant on Saturday after he accidentally came in front of a herd, forest department officials said.

The deceased, identified as Rijoy Dey, an areca nut farmer, was a resident of the Chandranagar area in Kauli, Tamulpur district near the India-Bhutan border.

According to forest department officials, the incident occurred in the Kauli area around 1am when Dey was returning home from a local market.

"A herd of elephants was roaming in the area, and locals said the victim accidentally encountered them and was trampled to death on the spot by one elephant," an official said.

Locals claimed that Dey tried to escape but heavy rain p...