Itanagar: Former MLA of Arunachal Pradesh, Kapchen Rajkumar, died in a wild elephant attack on Wednesday morning while walking from Namsang village to Deomali town in Tirap district.
Confirming the incident, Tirap Superintendent of Police Aditya said the 65-year-old former legislator was attacked and killed by an elephant while on foot near his village. Rajkumar is survived by his wife and several children.
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Rajkumar had served as the Member of Legislative Assembly from the then Khonsa North Assembly Constituency between 1985 and 1990.
Chief Minister Pema Khandu expressed condolences over the death, describing it as a tragic loss. “I am deeply saddened to hear about the tragic passing of Late Kapchen Rajkumar, former MLA from Tirap, who fell victim to a very unfortunate incident. His dedication to serving the community and his contributions to our society will always be remembered,” Khandu said in a social media post.
Khandu added that Rajkumar’s commitment to public welfare and development in the Tirap region had left a lasting impact. He also confirmed that instructions had been issued to process ex-gratia support for the bereaved family.
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State Environment and Forest Minister Wangki Lowang, who represents the Namsang constituency, also mourned the death.
“Deeply saddened to hear that former MLA Kapchen Rajkumar lost his life in a tragic wild elephant attack this morning while walking from Namsang village to Deomali. My heartfelt condolences to his family. May his soul rest in peace,” Lowang posted on social media.
Born on April 15, 1960, in Namsang village, Rajkumar was the son of Wangmei Rajkumar, a former acting chief of the village. He completed his early education at Ramakrishna Mission School, Narottamnagar, and Government Higher Secondary School, Khonsa. He also pursued commercial pilot training at Safdarjung Airport in New Delhi.
His last rites will be held on Thursday at his native village, Namsang.