BENGALURU: Mudigere BJP MLA MP Kumaraswamy was beaten up by angry villagers near Kundhur estate in Mudigere, Chikkamagaluru, on Sunday. The incident occurred after a woman Shobha, aged about 45, was attacked by a wild elephant on Sunday and succumbed to her injuries.
Sources said there was a public outcry against the authorities. Kumaraswamy rushed to the village to pacify angry villagers who complained about the apathy of district authorities, even after repeated complaints of crop loss and damage failed to pacify them.
They accused him of being responsible and thrashed him, tearing his shirt. Some villagers rushed to his rescue so that he was not further assaulted by the angry mob. Later, the MLA strongly criticised their behaviour.
District police in Mudigere, Chikkamagalur, confirmed the attack and said the matter was being investigated. Meanwhile, the deceased woman has been identified as Shobha (45). Shobha was cutting grass at a paddy field near her house, when she was trampled to death by a wild elephant. Her husband Sathish Gowda was in close proximity to her at the time of the incident.
The couple has a 20-year-old son. Residents of the village said that the elephant menace has been on the rise and farmers are afraid to work in the estates. The elephants have been damaging crops and attacking humans in this region, and three people have been killed by elephants in a span of three months, they rued. Meanwhile, Mudigere taluk coffee growers president Balakrishna has sought the Union Government’s intervention, which he said is the only way to keep the wild animals under control.
Expressing anguish over Shobha’s death, he stressed on the importance of setting a special task force to tackle the elephant menace. He added that a task force should be constituted and farmers should be saved before they abandon cultivation altogether.