TENKASI: A sloth bear attacked three women farm workers at a lemon plantation in Puliyangudi on Thursday. Two of them were admitted to the Puliyangudi GH with minor injuries, and the other woman, who is critically injured, was admitted to the Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital (TvMCH). Following the incident, residents staged a road blockage on the Madurai-Tenkasi national highway, demanding a permanent solution to the human-wildlife conflict.
The injured have been identified as C Sekammal (52), E Ambica (44), and R Ramalakshmi (43). According to sources, the incident occurred in the Vazhai Mazhaiyaru area, where the trio was engaged in agricultural work at a private farmland owned by Esakki Rajan. A sloth bear that had strayed into the plantation attacked them, and they sustained injuries.
The residents alleged that despite repeated complaints to the forest department regarding wild animals frequently straying into the farmlands located at the foothills of the Western Ghats, no effective action had been taken yet. Angered by the delay in official response, they blocked the NH for over 30 minutes. Following talks with the Puliyangudi police, they withdrew the protest.