Locals hold massive protest in Wayanad over elephant attack, call off agitation after government assurance

Protesters in Kalloor, near Sultan Bathery, demanded that the government find a permanent solution to end the rising number of human-wild animal conflicts in Wayanad.

Wayanad: Kerala's hill district of Wayanad witnessed a massive protest on Wednesday, with locals alleging government inaction over addressing the recurring human-animal conflict after an elephant attack victim succumbed to injuries sustained days ago.

The four-hour-long protest ended after the government assured relief to the victim's family and pledged steps to prevent human-animal conflicts.

Raju, 52, who was seriously injured in the wild elephant attack on July 14, succumbed to his wounds on Tuesday while being treated at a hospital in Kozhikode.

On Wednesday, outrage and grief swept through the village as hundreds of people protested the government's alleged inaction in preventing wild elephant attacks which had claimed yet another life.

Blocking a highway carrying the body of the victim in an ambulance, protesters in Kallur, near Sultan Bathery, demanded that the government find a permanent solution to end the rising number of human-wildlife animal conflicts in Wayanad.

They also expressed their anger towards Minister O R Kelu, who arrived at the scene to meet the victim's family.

The protesters demanded a compensation of Rs 50 lakh for Raju's family and a permanent government job for his son.

The protest came to an end after Minister Kelu assured an all-party meeting that adequate compensation would be provided to Raju's family.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, the minister said that a relief of Rs 11 lakh, which includes Rs 1 lakh in insurance, would be provided to Raju's family, in addition to the tribal department taking care of his children's education.

One of his children would be offered a government job, the minister said.

The government also decided to provide a house to his family and construct a concrete road leading to his house.

On Sunday, at around 8.45 pm, Raju was attacked by a wild elephant while walking home from his farm.

The pachyderm, which was standing near the field, suddenly turned and attacked Raju, causing injuries to his abdomen and legs.

Earlier this year, Kerala witnessed fatalities due to wild elephant attacks.

The victims were- Paul (50), a forest watcher, 42-year-old Wayanad resident Aji and Lakshmanan, a 65-year-old estate watcher, all from Wayanad, and Indira Ramakrishnan, a woman from Idukki district.

Wild elephant population declines in Kerala

The fresh incident took place amidst the report that the wild elephant population in Kerala has declined by over 7 per cent.

As per the wild elephant counting conducted jointly by southern states from May 23 to 25, the total wild elephants spotted in the forests of Kerala was 1,793, showing a decline from 1,920 last year. Forest officials cite the inter-state movement of elephants as a reason for the decline.

With PTI inputs