Karnataka government announced ex-gratia to kin of a man killed by a makhna elephant, captured and radio-collared in Karnataka, in Wayanad.
Belur Makha broke into the compound of a house, where it trampled Ajeesh to death in Wayanad on 10 February. (Representational picture/Wikimedia Commons)
The BJP on Monday, 19 February, accused the Karnataka government of “illegally allocating” ₹15 lakh to the kin of a Kerala man who was killed by a tuskless elephant that was captured in Karnataka but later strayed into Wayanad in the neighbouring state.
With Congress leader Rahul Gandhi being the MP from Wayanad, the BJP’s Karnataka unit president BY Vijayendra alleged that the Congress government in Karnataka was misusing taxpayers’ money “to curry favour” with the former party president.
It is utterly disgraceful, he said.
“Illegally allocating state fund of ₹15 lakh to a deceased individual from Rahul Gandhi’s Wayanad constituency, falsely blaming an elephant from Karnataka, is an appalling betrayal,” Vijayendra, an MLA from Shikaripura, said on social media.
BY Vijayendra. (Screengrab)
He said that amid crippling drought and hundreds of farmers are dying by suicides across Karnataka, the Congress government “shamelessly prioritised pleasing Rahul Gandhi over addressing the state’s urgent needs”.
“CM Siddaramaiah and his cohorts must be held accountable for unethically looting Karnataka taxpayers’ money and state treasury to cater to the Congress High Command’s greed,” the BJP state chief said.
Amidst the Congress party’s struggle for survival, its ministers are sparing no effort in plundering every last rupee of the state’s coffers, Vijayendra alleged.
On Sunday, 18 February, Gandhi urged Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala to coordinate among themselves to curb man-animal conflicts.
On Sunday, Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre said the state government has agreed to pay compensation to the Kerala man on a par with the indemnity paid to the people of Karnataka killed by an elephant.
Thanner Komban roaming Wayanad before its capture. (Supplied)
The tuskless bull elephant — makhna — was captured in the Belur taluk of Hassan district on 30 November 2023, and translocated to the Bandipur Forest area. After more than two months, it strayed into the Wayanad district of Kerala.
On 10 February, a man was killed by the elephant in the Wayanad district of Kerala. Following this, elected representatives and the Government of Kerala had requested the Karnataka government to be largehearted and pay compensation for that case, the minister’s office said.
According to reports, the elephant has moved back to Karnataka, despite Kerala and Karnataka forest officials trying to trying to tranquilise and capture. He was also seen in the company of another makhna.
The statement said Khandre took up the matter of payment of compensation with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday.
“The chief minister agreed to pay compensation to the family of Ajeesh on par with any person of Karnataka,” the statement read.
Early in February, Khandre indicated that animals do not have borders, and apparently objected to branding “wildlife” as belonging to one particular state.
A June 2023 photograph of Arikomban in Tamil Nadu. (Supriya Sahu/X)
The minister took exception to transporting another elephant, Thanneer Komban, captured and radio-collared in Karnataka, back to the state of its origin, after it was tranquilised in Wayanad.
The elephant later collapsed in the vehicle that ferried it to Bandipur and died.
“Branding an elephant or any wildlife to a particular state and sending it back is not acceptable,” Khandre said.
The minister said he would discuss the matter with his Kerala counterpart.
In May last, a wild elephant radio-collared in Kerala, ambled into the outskirts of Cumbum in Tamil Nadu, where it was captured again. The Tamil Nadu forest officials tranqulised and released the tusker, Arikomban, at the upper reach of Kodayar in the Kanniyakumari district, where he has been living ever since.
A man, who had suffered injuries in a fall while fleeing the elephant, died when Arikomban spread terror in Cumbum.
In Wayanad, three men were killed in wild elephant attacks since 30 January.
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