A 23-year-old man, Amar Ilahi of Mullaringadu, died in Kerala’s Idukki in a wild elephant attack on the evening of Sunday, December 29. The incident happened inside a teak plantation at Vannappuram panchayat when Amar and his friend Mansoor were attempting to untie his cattle. Mansoor managed to run away from the elephant, and is currently under medical care at a private hospital in Thodupuzha.
Kerala’s Minister of Irrigation Roshy Augustine visited Amar’s home on Monday, December 30. During the visit, villagers expressed their concerns over the increasing instances of human-wildlife conflict in the region and urged him to implement effective measures to prevent such incidents in the future. They demanded the installation of solar fences to prevent wild animals from venturing into residential areas.
Forest Minister AK Saseendran announced that the government will give Rs 10 lakh to Amar’s family as compensation. He told the media that he also sought a report from the Chief Wildlife warden on this matter. After the postmortem procedures, Amar’s mortal remains were taken to his home and his funeral was held at Mullaringadu Juma Masjid on Monday morning.
Following the incident, on Monday, the Left Democratic Front (LDF), United Democratic Front (UDF) and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) conducted a local-level hartal at the Vannappuram panchayat.