Mananimal conflict claims two more lives in Kerala
On Tuesday, Valsala, wife of tribal chief, was trampled to death by an elephant in Thrissur and a man was killed by wild gaur in Kozhikode; a day earlier, a woman was killed by elephant in Idukki
For the second consecutive day in Kerala, a wild elephant trampled to death a woman on Tuesday. Valsala, a 64yearold tribal woman, who went to the forest at Peringalkuthu in Thrissur for collecting forest resources was trampled to death by the animal around 3.30 p.m.
Valsala is the wife of Rajan, tribal chief of Vachimaram Colony. Mr. Rajan, who witnessed the incident, said the elephant that was behind a tree attacked Valsala. Rajan, who was terrified by the attack, has been hospitalised.
The elephant trampled Valsala when she tried to escape and fell down.
Mr. Rajan identified the elephant as ‘Manjakomban’, a frequent troublemaker in the area.
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan, who visited Mr. Rajan in the hospital, criticised the State government and the Centre for their apathy towards the plight of people living in the forest fringes.
Tense moments prevailed at Chalakudy Taluk Hospital as UDF workers protested against shifting the body to the mortuary.
In another incident, a 70yearold man, P.D. Abraham, was killed in a wild gaur attack at Kakkayam in Kozhikode district on Tuesday afternoon. The incident led to strong protests and both the Left Democratic Front and the United Democratic Front called for a hartal in Koorachund grama panchayat on Wednesday.
In another incident, a herd of elephants entered the house of the welfare officer of the Athirappilly plantation corporation in Thrissur on Monday night and damaged furniture and other things inside the house. The family members were not in the house at the time of the attack.
Meanwhile, the Kothamangalam First Class Judicial Magistrate Court on Tuesday extended the interim bail of MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan, Ernakulam District Congress Committee president Mohammed Shiyas, and 30 other Congress leaders arrested in connection with a protest held at Kothamangalam town with the body of a woman trampled to death by elephant at Kanjiraveli in Idukki on Monday.
(With inputs from Kozhikode)