Bhubaneswar, Aug. 14 -- Fed up with repeated crop damage and destruction caused by a herd of elephants, villagers blocked National Highway 220 at Mangalpur in Odisha's Keonjhar's Patna block on Friday, demanding compensation for their losses and immediate steps to drive the elephants away. The protest followed fresh damage to houses and crops in the area.

A herd of 26 elephants has been roaming in the Patna forest range for the past 15 days. The herd has split into three groups and has been moving around villages in the area. Villagers alleged that the elephants enter paddy fields, vegetable farms and pumpkin plantations at night, damaging crops.

A woman villager alleged that her house was among four damaged by the elephants on Wednesda...