MYSURU: In a tragic incident, a 22-year-old forest guard drowned in the Kapila river while trying to escape from a tusker attack at Bandipur Tiger Reserve on Sunday evening. According to foresters, Shashank, a resident of Kalaianahall village and a forest guard serving in the Kakanakote forest area as outsource staff, drowned in the Kapila river coming under the Gundre forest range in HD Kote taluk.
Forest guards Shashank P C and Rajanna P were on foot patrolling in the forest area at Aaramalleshwara near forest IB when a tusker attacked them at 4.45 pm. As the tusker was behind a huge bush, the forest guards, who did not notice the animal, had walked close to it. The tusker which rushed towards them attacked the guards.
As the tusker attacked the guards, they tried to run for their lives towards the river at Kannegala. As both received minor injuries during the attack, they jumped into the river to save their lives from the tusker attack. While Rajanna managed to swim back to shore and saved his life, Shanshak drowned in the river.
Rajanna managed to run towards the village and informed forest officers and villagers regarding the incident. RFO Amruthesh along with the staff rushed to the spot and managed to fish out the body out of the water.
HD Kote MLA Anil Chikkamadu, who visited the spot, assured Rs 30 lakh compensation to the victim’s family members. He handed over Rs 5 lakh as immediate relief to the victim’s mother Prema.