ERODE: A 34-year-old farmer died in a wild elephant attack in Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) in Erode. The deceased was N Mahesh of Karalavadi village near Jeerahalli under STR.
According to the sources, Mahesh is a farmer and the breadwinner of the family. The farmland owned by him is located in the same village, adjacent to the reserve forest area.
On Saturday night, he went to his farmland and engaged in surveillance to protect the crops from wild animals. On Sunday, at around 12 am, a herd of wild elephants allegedly had come there for crop raiding. Knowing this, Mahesh called for help from farmers in the nearby fields to drive away the herd of elephants.
While Mahesh and some other farmers attempted to drive away the herd, an elephant in the herd chased and attacked Mahesh. He sustained serious injuries in the incident and died. Talavadi police and forest officials from Jeerahalli range rushed to the spot and conducted an inquiry. However, the farmers did not allow Mahesh's body to be taken to the hospital. They called for measures to prevent elephants from entering villages and compensation for those killed in elephant attacks be increased, like in Karnataka. Following prolonged negotiations by the officials, the farmers were pacified.
A Sujatha, SP of Erode, told TNIE, "They demanded that the compensation be increased from Rs 10 lakhs to Rs 20 lakhs. However, the protest was resolved through proper negotiations. After the usual procedures, the farmer's body was handed over to his family."