At Gojgiri village, in Belpahari block of Jhargram district in West Bengal, 37-year-old Haripada Singh holds up an iron spike with a bulbous tip made of jute.Whenever elephants venture into a human habitat, these iron spikes tipped with fire are what he and 36 other men use to drive out the herd. They are members of a ‘Hula (spear) party’, local men paid by the state government to ward off elephants from human habitation.“We get calls from the department when an elephant or a herd enters a human settlement. The department sends a pickup van and gives us jute bags and fuel to make the fireballs. That is our primary weapon to scare away elephants,” says Haripada.With elephant-human conflicts rising across Jharkhand, Odisha, and West Bengal — including a recent fatality in Paschim Medinipur — attention has turned back to the ‘Hula parties’. Despite a Supreme Court order against using spikes and widespread criticism following a series of tragedies last year, including the death of a pregnant elephant in Jhargram from a burning spear thrown at its back, the practice continues.“We do not want to hurt elephants,” asserts Haripada. “We treat them like gods. But others don’t think that way. They are rash and have no training,” he claims. Local youths of Gajagram, under the Belpahari Range in Jhargram, step up as Hula Parties leading the frontline effort to gently drive elephants away from human settlements and reduce conflict between humans and Elephants . (Express photo by Partha Paul)Speaking about last year’s incident, he adds, “We reached late. We tried to help the elephant by injecting medicine given by the government vet… but could not save it.”As elephant habitats shrink and conflicts rise, The Indian Express speaks to members of the Hula party in this village who are at the ‘frontlines’ of elephant management and have long been demanding permanent jobs and better pay.Story continues below this ad‘Can’t run a family on this’Haripada says their association with the ‘Hula Party’ goes back generations. “My father and grandfather used to do this too.”When not chasing away the animals, many members work in the fields or as dailywage labourers. “We don’t get full-time jobs… employers feel we will rush to drive away elephants if we get a call,” laments Haripada.They are paid a daily wage of Rs 300 and get work for at most seven days a month, he says. “One cannot run a family on this.”Asked why they don’t find alternative employment, Haripada adds, “We stick to it because we feel, someday, we will get a permanent job with the forest department.”Story continues below this adManotosh Singh (32) says the job is gruelling. “When we get calls about an elephant, we work from 6 pm till the next morning, chasing the herd back to the forest.”Apart from wages, members say they are given 100 litres of ‘mobil’ (fuel) by the forest department, refilled with 50 litres when it runs out.“They promised to give us a uniform, formal training, insurance and a permanent job. To date, only 20 of us have got a uniform — none of us have got any training. We filled an application and submitted papers for insurance in 2017 but got nothing,” claims 40-year-old Amiya Singh, who is part of the group. An Elephant crossing zone at Jhargram division (Express photo by Partha Paul)Hemanta Singh (45) says he was injured on the job last year. “I sustained an injury on my hand and broke a tooth. I have been doing this work for 25 years. The Forest department assured us jobs as forest assistants. We even approached Forest Minister Birbaha Hansda in 2023. But to no avail.”Story continues below this ad“We work more than 12 hours. We get Rs 300, puffed rice, and a one-time meal — egg and rice, fish and rice, rarely chicken,” says Khudiram Singh (50).He also points out that elephant movement patterns have changed. “Earlier, they came only during the rainy season from the Dalma forest in Jharkhand… Now they stay throughout the year and do not leave. We hear mining has started in Dalma and their habitat has been damaged,” adds Khudiram.The Indian Express had earlier reported that elephants were forced out of Jharkhand (then south Bihar) and Odisha towards Central India — South Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra — due to a combination of natural and manmade triggers: serial droughts, rapid expansion of mining, and construction of reservoirs in South Bihar and Odisha.Official speakSpeaking to The Indian Express, State Forest Minister Hansda says they impart training to Hula party members twice a year. “There have been some unfortunate incidents like elephant deaths and we have taken strong action. As for the other issues highlighted like wages and uniforms, we will look into it. Generally across the state, it is taken care of… The group you have met, maybe, has new members.Story continues below this adFollowing the death of the pregnant elephant in 2025, two members of a hula party were arrested.On the use of hulas, she says, “We have found that it is the only effective method… We take extreme care not to cause any harm. Those who have gone to the court, including the Supreme Court, we urge them to visit the field with us and find another way to tackle the problem. We have experimented with various other ways, but elephants only respond to or fear hulas. We consider elephants as family members. During drives (against elephants), some young boys sometimes get out of hand… But we strictly deal with it.” Local youths of Gajagram, under the Belpahari Range in Jhargram, step up as Hula Parties leading the frontline effort to gently drive elephants away from human settlements and reduce conflict between humans and Elephants . (Express photo by Partha Paul)The department has also seized fireballs made by villagers at home and conducted awareness campaigns, she adds.Prerna Singh Bindra, former member, National Board for Wildlife, disagrees.Story continues below this adShe tells The Indian Express, “It has been seven years since the Supreme Court gave an order [against] the continuing practice of hula, especially throwing fire at elephants. Despite the order, this horrific practice continues unabated, supported by the state government… In at least one instance, it has led to the death of an elephant.”“Elephants are an endangered, protected species, revered in India. The focus should be on resolving the problem, of adapting practices that alleviate suffering of both humans and elephants. Instead, the state government supports hula, driving elephants from one area to another, from one forest range to another, without giving the animal pause to eat, drink water, rest. This constant harassment stresses and makes the elephants panic, and may lead to them becoming aggressive. Scientific evidence suggests that instead of mitigating the problem, the practice aggravates conflict,” she adds.Hula party members, meanwhile, recall other wildlife encounters. Asit Sardar (35) says, “Once in 2019, we went to drive away a tiger with wooden hulas.”Sometimes, they are also involved in rescues. “During a heavy rain spell in 2025, we rescued an elephant calf that had been swept away in the Kangsabati river. Four-five of us jumped into the water and rescued the calf using a gamcha (towel) to wrap around its neck. We were able to reunite the calf with its mother too,” says Arjun Sardar (35).Story continues below this adIncidents in 2025August 15: A pregnant elephant died in Jhargram after a burning spear thrown at it got lodged in its back. It was part of a group of five, including two calves. Two members of a hula party were arrested. A video of the incident had gone viral, sparking severe criticism from all quarters.July 18: Three elephants — including a mother and its calf — were killed after being hit by a train in Jhargram district early Friday while Hula party was attempting to drive the herd out of a human settlementJune 13: Fireballs were hurled at a herd of elephants, with one hitting a calf, allegedly by a group of villagers and hula party members trying to drive away the animals in Haribhanga area of Jhargram.February 3: A mob in Jalpaiguri district pelted stones at a wild elephant before using a bulldozer to drive it away in the Dam Dim area. The animal sustained injuries after running into the machine.