The 65-year-old woman, Indira, was trampled by the elephant when she ventured into her farmland near the forest area for some work.
Representative image of a wild tusker.
A protest erupted in Kerala’s Kothamangalam town on Monday, 4 March, over the surge in human-animal conflicts, as demonstrators carried the casket of an elderly woman who fell victim to a fatal elephant attack earlier in the day in the Idukki district.
The protest, which took place in Kothamangalam, a town bordering Ernakulam and Idukki districts, was led by Congress legislator Mathew Kuzhalnadan and Idukki MP Dean Kuriakose.
They were joined by hundreds of local people who refused to hand over the body of the victim, Indira Ramakrishnan, for post-mortem.
A scuffle with the police broke out during the protest, with protesters taking to the streets chanting ‘Police go back’.
The victim’s family also demanded that the post-mortem be carried out after addressing the problem of the wild animal menace in the state.
The body was reportedly forcibly taken from the mortuary for the protest, leading to heated verbal exchanges between the police and the leaders.
The police informed the leaders that it was not right to protest with the body, which had been sent for an inquest. This led to a verbal dispute between them.
Visuals aired by news channels showed Ernakulam DCC president Mohammad Shias pushing a senior police officer.
Idukki MP Kuriakose said that the police should be held accountable for insulting the dead by bringing the body on the road.
The leaders also said that the protest would only end after the ministers reached the spot. Later, the police forcibly seized the body.
65-year-old Indira was trampled by the elephant when she ventured into her farmland near the forest area for some work on Monday morning.
The elephant attacked Indira and she fell while trying to run away.
Neighbours rushed to her aid upon hearing her screams. Despite being taken to a nearby hospital in Kothamangalam, she succumbed to her injuries, police said.
The incident is yet another reminder of the ongoing issue of human-animal conflicts in Kerala, which have also become a matter of political debate.
On 26 February, a man was killed in a wild elephant attack in the Kannimala estate near the tourist town of Munnar in Idukki.
Some other passengers were in the autorickshaw when the vehicle was attacked by the elephant on the night of 26 February, police said.
The deceased person was identified as Suresh Kumar, also known as Mani, an autorickshaw driver, they added.
Wayanad, another hilly district in the state, recently witnessed massive protests by local people as two persons were killed in attacks by wild elephants.
Various political parties announced roadblocks and other protests in the Munnar area on 27 February. They sought intervention by the authorities to address the increasing human-animal conflict in the region.
On 10 February A 42-year-old man, Aji, was killed by a wild elephant in a human settlement near Mananthavady Wayanad. CCTV visuals showed the elephant, fitted with a radio collar, damaging a house’s compound wall before attacking the man.
On 16 February Pakkom Vellachalil Paul, an eco-tourism guide of the forest department, was killed by a wild tusker near Kuruva island.
Following the 16 February incident, protesters gathered in Pulpally town, seeking compensation for Paul’s family and a permanent solution to the human-wildlife conflict.
Angry locals staged flash protests, blocking Mananthavady-Mysore, Mananthavady-Kozhikode, and Thalassery roads following Aji’s death. They also blocked the vehicles of the local MLA and the District police chief, raising “go back” slogans.
Some protesters marched to the sub-collector office in Wayanad, where district officials, including the Collector, were holding a meeting. Violent agitators banged on doors and grills.
Locals blocked streets, protesting by placing the body of Aji, one of the victims, in the middle of the road.
The Opposition Congress demanded the resignation of Forest Minister AK Saseendran in the wake of the incidents.
Following the deaths and the subsequent protests, Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi visited the houses of the two victims to console their family members.
Union Minister Bhupender Yadav also visited the families of the men who died in animal attacks in Wayanad and assured them of all possible help to put their lives back on track.
The agitators concluded their protest after the government’s announcement of various relief measures.
The relief measures included ₹10 lakh for the family of the deceased and the government also promised to take care of the education of the two children of the deceased.
(With PTI inputs)
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