Villagers seek permission to shoot the tiger

Virajpet: A coffee estate worker has been killed by a tiger at the estate in Rudruguppe village in Virajpet taluk yesterday evening. 

The deceased is Eravara Ganesh Puttu (29), a native of Gaddemane at Athur village in Gonikoppal. Ganesh, who was working in the estate of Konganda Aiyappa at Rudruguppe village, was involved in harvesting black pepper. Yesterday at about 4 pm, a tiger, which was prowling in the estate, attacked Ganesh all of a sudden and bit Ganesh’s head, killing him on the spot.

Virajpet Range Forest Officers and staff, who rushed to the spot, conducted an inspection. As the news spread, villagers and farmer association leaders gathered at the spot and expressed anger on Forest Department officials. Meanwhile, the Forest Department staff tried to shift the body of Ganesh in a hurried manner which was opposed severely by the villagers.

The villagers said that about 10 days back, a calf, belonging to Atrangada Subbaiah, was killed by a tiger at the same spot and the Forest Department had not taken any steps to protect the lives of villagers and their livestock and now, the tiger has killed a worker.

The villagers, stating that they would not allow the body of Ganesh to be shifted till the Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) or any higher Forest official arrive at the spot and staged a protest.

Give us permission to shoot the tiger

When the Forest Department officials told the villagers that adequate compensation will be provided to the deceased Ganesh’s family immediately, the villagers, who got angry, said that they do not need the compensation but instead sought permission to shoot the tiger by themselves. “We will not go in search of the tiger, we will shoot it if it comes inside our estates and we will then inform you,” the villagers said.  

It may be recalled that three persons were killed by a tiger last year and the villagers had sought permission to shoot down the tiger then too.