HASSAN: The ongoing man-elephant conflict in Hassan district turned tragic again on Friday after a woman was trampled to death by a wild elephant near Ankihalli village in Belur taluk.
The deceased has been identified as Chandramma (45). She was on her way to a nearby coffee estate when she was attacked by an elephant. Following the incident, enraged villagers staged a protest and refusing to move the deceased’s body from the spot. They demanded that District Minister K N Rajanna and Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre visit the site and hand over compensation to the family of the deceased on the spot.
According to data available with The New Indian Express, five people have lost their lives in elephant attacks in the past three months across Belur, Alur, and Sakleshpur taluks of the district. Fear of further attacks has left residents in elephant-prone areas anxious with many refusing to go to their fields for agricultural works.
The elephant task force committee, electronic signboards and information about the movement of elephants by forest officials have had little impact on curbing the elephant menace in the region.
Meanwhile, villagers in Kerodi of Sakleshpur taluk panicked after a tusker entered the village in broad daylight recently. The elephant menace has become a headache for the forest department.