IDUKKI: Munnar town witnessed a seething protest on Tuesday after a 45-year-old autorickshaw driver was killed by a wild elephant in the Kannimala Top Division of Munnar on Monday night.
The deceased, Suresh Kumar alias Mani, of Kannimala Top Division, was heading from Munnar to Top Division in his autorickshaw when a rogue tusker which was standing near a bungalow attacked the vehicle.
A family comprising a husband, wife and daughter and two migrant workers were there in the auto. When the elephant attacked the vehicle, the migrant workers managed to run away, but the couple Esakki Raja, 45, and Rejina, 39, suffered injuries.
When the elephant attacked the autorickshaw, driver Mani was thrown out of the vehicle. The elephant caught him with its trunk and tossed him away.
Mani, who suffered serious head injuries in the incident died on the spot.
However, the injured were immediately taken to the Tata General Hospital in Munnar by a jeep driver who passed through the area. As the driver flashed the headlight and sounded the horn, the tusker retreated into the forest.
Hartal in Munnar
In protest against the attack, the LDF called a hartal in the hill town on Tuesday, while the UDF blockaded the roads demanding a concrete solution to the rising wild elephant menace.
As protestors blocked the highway at various places, tourists had a tough time reaching their destinations.
As family members, local people and party workers refused to hand over the body of Suresh Kumar to conduct post-mortem examination, an all-party meeting was held under the leadership of Devikulam MLA A Raja in Munnar on Tuesday morning to address their grievances.
Following the meeting, Rs 10 lakh was handed over by the forest department officials as immediate compensation for the victim’s family.
The meeting decided to take over the educational expenses of Suresh Kumar’s children, and provide a government job to his next of kin.
The medical expense of the injured will also be met by the state government.
A Raja said that the forest officials have promised to strengthen the functioning of rapid response team in Munnar, and conduct 24-hour patrolling. “A team of local residents will be formed to track the path of the tusker. The forest officials are camping in the area to track its movement,” the MLA said.
District Collector Sheeba George said that the forest minister has called a high-level meeting to address the issue. “The issues related to wild animal attacks in Idukki will be discussed in the meeting and steps will be taken to bring down conflicts. Top officials from forest, revenue, police and local administration will take part in the meeting,” she said.
Idukki MP launches hunger strike
Meanwhile, the district Congress committee launched an indefinite hunger strike under the leadership of Idukki MP Dean Kuriakose raising three demands. Dean said that the increasing elephant attacks in Munnar were a result of the lackadaisical attitude of the state government.
He said the government is protecting the rogue tusker Padayappa and has made it a brand ambassador. “We put forward three demands. One is to translocate Padayappa from Munnar. The second is to drive away trouble-making wild animals from human habitations to the forest. And the third demand is to appoint an RRT team in Munnar as promised by the government five months ago. Until the demands are met, I will continue the hunger strike in Munnar” he said.