Bahraich, Feb. 26 -- The growing movement of wild elephants inside the Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS) has created fear among villagers and commuters in the region. On Wednesday, elephants caused disturbances at three different locations, disrupting traffic, damaging crops, and forcing Board examinees to change their route. Early in the morning, a female elephant accompanied by her calf suddenly emerged onto the roadway and charged at passing motorcyclists, near Girijapuri Petrol Pump on the Bichhiya-Sujouli road., Two riders - Chunakka, 45, a resident of Sujouli, and Abdul Haleem Khan, 65, a resident of Budhpurwa, Mihinpurwa - narrowly escaped. The duo abandoned their motorcycle and ran towards the forest to save their lives. Chunakka sustained minor injuries after being struck by the elephant's trunk. He was rescued safely nearly half an hour later during a search operation conducted by the forest department. Traffic on the route remained disrupted for nearly one and a half hours, as commuters hesitated to resume travel out of fear. Ranger Ashish Gaund stated that three monitoring teams had been deployed in the area to keep track of elephant movement. In another incident, a herd of nearly two dozen elephants occupied the Matehi-Nishangada unpaved road in the Nishangada Range for several hours on Wednesday morning. The blockade disrupted movement and compelled students heading to appear for Board examinations to take an alternate route. Surendra Srivastava, ranger of Nishangada Range, said a team of Gajmitras and forest personnel has been deployed in the area. Public announcements are being made through megaphones to alert residents. Also, early on Wednesday, elephants entered agricultural fields in Amba village and trampled standing crops. Approximately 40 bighas of sugarcane and wheat crops were reportedly damaged. The losses have left local farmers distressed. The forest department has intensified monitoring in the affected area and assured that necessary measures are being taken to prevent further damage. The repeated movement of elephants in residential and roadside areas has heightened anxiety among villagers. Forest authorities have appealed to the public to avoid venturing alone into forest-adjacent routes, especially during early morning and late evening hours .Officials emphasised that maintaining distance from elephant herds and promptly reporting sightings are crucial steps in preventing human-wildlife conflict....