COIMBATORE: A 48-year-old man was trampled to death by a wild elephant at Thumanur village in Coimbatore Forest Range on Thursday night. The deceased was identified as Rajappan, a labourer.
Sources said Rajappan was riding a bike on the Thumanur - Sembukkarai road, when a lone tusker knocked him down and trampled him.
He died on the spot. Forest officials sent the body to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) for post-mortem. Following the incident, villagers staged a protest saying wild animal intrusion has increased in the area.
“The area is prone to jumbo movement. Earlier, there were no street lights and people used to stay indoors after dusk. Now street lights have been installed and people are moving out freely knowing pretty well that wild animals roam the place. People should be aware of animal movement. We have provided interim relief of Rs 50,000 to Rajappan’s family. Solatium of Rs 5 lakh would be arranged through the state government,”said N Jayaraj, District Forest Officer.