A tribal woman was killed and her husband seriously injured in a wild elephant attack near Parappanpara colony deep inside the Meppadi forest range on Malappuram-Wayanad border in Kerala on Thursday, said officials.
The deceased was identified as 30-year-old Mini, a resident of the colony and a member of the forest-dwelling Kattunayakka tribe. Her husband Suresh was first admitted to a government hospital in Nilambur with grievous injuries before being referred to the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital for further advanced treatment.
Meppady range forest officer D Harilal said: “The incident took place on Thursday when the couple were out collecting honey in the forest near their colony. The circumstances of the elephant attack are still being probed. However, it is a spot deep inside the forest and is frequently visited by elephants.”
The incident came to light after the family members of the victim went searching for them after they didn’t return home for hours.
Local ward member Yeshodha Chandran from Muppainad panchayat under which the colony falls, said, “Elephants are frequently seen in that area and we always tell the local residents to keep a watch out for them. The tribals say that the elephants do not attack them and go on their way. Such instances of conflict have not been reported in this area.”
{{/usCountry}}Local ward member Yeshodha Chandran from Muppainad panchayat under which the colony falls, said, “Elephants are frequently seen in that area and we always tell the local residents to keep a watch out for them. The tribals say that the elephants do not attack them and go on their way. Such instances of conflict have not been reported in this area.”
{{/usCountry}}“Suresh and Mini had just returned home after bringing their child from school and subsequently, they left to collect honey. Suresh has serious injuries on his leg in the elephant attack. We hope that the government provides some kind of compensation to his family,” the ward member said.
An officer at the Meppadi police station confirmed that a case under 174 CrPC (unnatural death) has been filed and further investigation is on. “The inquest and postmortem proceedings have been completed,” he said.
The officer also complained that tribal welfare officials were absent at the spot after the incident. The spurt in incidents of human-wildlife conflict, particularly in Wayanad district, has been a cause of concern among the locals and have led to recent protests demanding better security, warning systems and transparent compensation mechanisms. It has been a key talking point of campaigns by political parties in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.