Elephant attack: One more death in Hassan marks the seventh such incident this year

Many demanded that minister in-charge of the district, K. Gopalaiah, who was in Hassan to take part in Karnataka Rajyotsava programme, visit the village. They continued the protest keeping the body till late in the evening and later shifted it to a mortuary

A wild elephant trampled a 32-year-old farmer to death at Hebbanahalli in Sakaleshpur taluk on Tuesday morning, leaving the residents in the village and surrounding villages in shock. This is the seventh death in Hassan district due to elephant attacks this year.

The people of the region have been demanding a permanent solution to the man-animal conflict issue as more than 75 people died in elephant attacks in the last 10 years in the district. On Tuesday, villagers of Hebbanahalli held a protest demand with the same demand.

The farmer, Manu alias Manohar, was returning after offering prayer at a temple on a farm when he encountered the elephant. As the pachyderm hit his head, Manu died on the spot at around 9.30 a.m. He is survived by his wife and a three-year child.

Many people, who gathered at the spot, demanded that minister in-charge of the district, K. Gopalaiah, who was in Hassan to take part in Karnataka Rajyotsava programme, visit the village. They continued the protest keeping the body till late in the evening and later shifted it to a mortuary. Sakaleshpur MLA H.K. Kumaraswamy, former MLA H.M. Vishwanath and office-bearers of the planters’ association led the protest.

Mr. Gopalaiah, who spoke to the media in Hassan, said he would bring the issue to the notice of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and ensure a meeting of senior officers and elected representatives is convened soon. He refused to visit the spot stating that he had other engagements for the day. He directed Deputy Commissioner M.S. Archana to visit the spot.

The protesters at the spot got angry as they learnt that the minister returned to Bengaluru from Hassan. They resolved to continue the protest. The DC, Deputy Conservator of Forests K.N. Basavaraj and others visited the place. They spoke to protesters but failed to convince them to end the protest.

The villagers alleged that the Forest Department had failed to ensure the safety of the local people. The number of elephants roaming in the villages had gone up and there was no mechanism to monitor them.