Bengaluru, Sep 28 (IANS) A 60-year-old man was killed in a suspected wild elephant attack near Anchepalya, off Mysuru Road in Bengaluru, on Monday.
The deceased has been identified as Nagaraj, a resident of Anchepalya. The incident occurred around 5.30 a.m. when Nagaraj had reportedly stepped out for his morning walk. He was rushed to a hospital for treatment, but succumbed to his injuries.
The incident was reported from behind Rajarajeshwari Medical College near Kengeri, an area under the Kaggalipura Forest zone. Forest officials suspect the wild elephant may have entered the area from the nearby Bannerghatta forest region.
The Forest Department has launched a search operation to trace the elephant, which disappeared after the incident. The presence of the elephant has triggered fear among local residents, with people reportedly hesitant to venture out of their homes.
Police and local residents suspect that Nagaraj was attacked by the elephant after two compound walls at the spot were found collapsed. CCTV footage from the area has also captured the movement of an elephant. The footage reportedly shows the animal moving at speed around 5.11 a.m.
Officials have also gathered information about another person who had gone out for a morning walk and reportedly escaped the elephant at the last moment.
Meanwhile, family members of the deceased and villagers staged a protest at RR Hospital, expressing outrage over the alleged negligence of the Forest Department. They demanded that the Forest Minister visit the spot and announce immediate compensation for Nagaraj’s family, which has four daughters.
“He went out for a walk at around 5.30 a.m. today. Someone came and informed us that Nagaraj had been attacked by a wild elephant, following which we rushed to the spot. We go for morning walks every day, but this tragedy happened today. The elephant had never come anywhere near our area,” family members said.
Deceased Nagaraj’s daughter, Shobha, stated, “We had also gone for a walk and were walking behind him. Someone known to us alerted us that an elephant was roaming in the area. We ran away and asked him where my father was. He told us that my father had gone ahead, and he then ran back out of fear. After some time, we went in search of our father.
I screamed, ‘Appa’, but he did not respond. By then, the elephant had attacked him. There was a compound wall, and there was no way for him to escape. It attacked him. We have been going for morning walks for the past three years, almost every day, and no such incident had taken place before.”
A case has been registered at Kumbalgodu Police Station, and further investigation is underway.
It can be recalled that a 33-year-old tourist from Chennai was killed at Karnataka’s Dubare Elephant Camp in Kodagu district when two captive elephants clashed during a river bath, causing one to fall on her. Following this and other wild elephant conflicts in the region, the state government banned tourist interaction and mandated strict new safety distances.
–IANS
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