Another worker injured in separate incident

Siddapur (Kodagu): An estate worker was killed while another narrowly escaped when a wild elephant attacked them at a coffee estate in Yemmegundi, Pollibetta,  Virajpet taluk, recently.

The deceased has been identified as Hanumantha (57).

According to sources, a wild tusker had been sighted roaming around the Yemmegundi estate since morning. In the afternoon, it came face-to-face with a group of estate workers heading for lunch and charged at them. While one worker managed to flee, Hanumantha was caught and trampled to death. As the news of the death spread, workers from nearby estates suspended work and staged a protest, blaming the Forest Department for its failure to prevent elephant incursions.

The body was later shifted to Siddapur Hospital for post-mortem. Elected representatives, labourers and local leaders confronted Forest officials over the growing menace of wild elephants.

Former Zilla Panchayat Member Viju Subramani criticised the Forest Department’s inaction and demanded the resignation of Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre.

Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Gopal handed over a compensation cheque of Rs. 5 lakh to the victim’s family, assuring that the remaining Rs. 10 lakh would be released soon.

Meanwhile, Range Forest Officer (RFO) Gangadhar, Deputy RFO Shashi and their team drove away a herd of 15 wild elephants that had been spotted in the coffee estates around Maldare. RFO Shivaram, former Taluk Panchayat Member Ajith Karumbaiah and labour leader Mahadev were present.

Another estate worker injured

In a separate incident last evening, a 60-year-old estate worker sustained serious injuries after being attacked by a wild elephant near Bilugundu Hosakote village, Virajpet.

The injured, Bellu Poonacha, a resident of Galibeedu Makkandur, was employed as a writer at the Muddinakad estate owned by Kanathanda Santosh.

Around 6 pm, as he was returning to the labourers’ quarters, two wild elephants emerged from the thicket and charged. While others managed to escape, Poonacha hid behind a tree. One of the elephants, however, lifted him with its trunk and hurled him to the ground, causing a spinal fracture.

He was initially rushed to a nearby Government Hospital and later shifted to Madikeri Hospital for advanced treatment.