KALPETTA:Local residents blocked the National Highway and staged a protest with the body of Raju, 50, a member of the Kuruman tribe from Marode Kallumukku, who died after a wild elephant attack in Kallur, near Sultan Bathery. Raju succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Kozhikode.
On Wednesday morning, protestors gathered against Minister O.R. Kelu, who came to visit Raju's house. They demanded Rs 50 lakh in compensation for Raju's family and a permanent government job for his son. The protest also targeted forest department officials.
In the subsequent all-party meeting, it was decided to provide immediate financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh to the family of the deceased. Decisions such as recommending the government for more financial assistance, giving a job to one person in the family, recommending to the government to give a permanent job to the relative, providing an insurance amount of one lakh, and providing government assistance for children's higher education -- were also taken in the meeting.
Raju was attacked by an elephant when he was walking home from the farm around 8.45 pm on Sunday night. The wild elephant standing near the field suddenly turned towards Raju and attacked him. Raju was seriously injured in the attack and was admitted to a private hospital in Kozhikode and underwent surgery on Monday morning. He died while undergoing treatment on Tuesday around 3.30 pm.
On Monday also, there was a protest and road blockade by local residents in Kallur in protest against the repeated wild elephant attacks in Wayanad. In January, Lakshmanan, 65, of Pannikkal tribal colony, who worked as an estate watchman, was killed by a wild elephant near the estate in Tholpetty. In February, Ajeesh Joseph, a farmer, was trampled to death by a wild elephant in Mananthavady. A week later, Paul V P, a forest watcher from Pulpally, lost his life to a wild elephant attack near the Kuruva Island Eco Tourism Centre. In March, Mini, 33, belongs to the Cholanaikkan tribe in Vaduvanchal of Muppainad panchayat, who was out collecting wild honey, was trampled to death by a wild elephant at Parappanpara in the Meppadi forest range of Wayanad.