India, July 18 -- Three elephants including a female and its calf were killed after they were run over by a train in West Bengal's Jhargram on Friday early morning.

"Three elephants - a female elephant, its calf and a sub-adult - were killed on the railway tracks between Sardiha and Banshtola stations in Jhargram district in the early hours of Friday," said Sandeep Sundriyal, chief wildlife warden of West Bengal.

Activists allege that the elephants, originally part of a larger herd, were being chased by a hulla party when the accident took place. The West Bengal forest department, however, has denied the involvement of hulla party.

Nishant Kumar, senior divisional commercial manager of Kharagpur, said,"Preliminary reports suggest that ...