Panic grips farmers after elephants kill watchman

He reportedly tried to drive them away from field when he was pushed to the ground

In yet another incident of the elephants of the Bachelors’ Group attacking humans, a 75-year-old watchman at a mango orchard was killed when he reportedly tried to drive two elephants away from the field at Nettam village in Puttur mandal on Sunday. This is the third incident and first casualty in the eastern mandals in the last four months after a three-member Bachelors’ Group of elephants had crossed into Chittoor district from Vellore in Tamil Nadu in the first week of January. The trio has since been occasionally raiding the crops in the plain areas of Nagari, Puttur, Narayanavanam and Karveti Nagaram mandals and has taken shelter behind hillocks and sparse jungles. At present, one of the three elephants has got separated from the group, and is currently on the prowl at Kailasanatha Kona tourist spot at the foot of Nagari hills. The other two elephants are on the move criss-crossing the Karveti Nagaram and Puttur forest ranges.