Chamarajanagar: The district witnessed yet another tragic incident of human–wildlife conflict, as a migrant labourer was killed in a sudden wild elephant attack in the Jallipalya forest region of Hanur taluk on Wednesday night.
The deceased has been identified as Shivamurthy (50), a native of Makanapally village in neighbouring Tamil Nadu. Shivamurthy had come to the Jallipalya area as a daily-wage labourer to harvest bananas in nearby farmlands.
After completing work, he was returning to his village on a motorcycle when a wild elephant reportedly attacked him inside the forest stretch and trampled him to death, forest department officials said.
Following the attack, the elephants remained in the vicinity for some time, creating panic among locals and fellow labourers. Officials from the Malai Mahadeshwara Wildlife Division, including staff from the Hugyam wildlife range, rushed to the spot and managed to drive the elephants away before shifting the body for post-mortem examination.
The incident site is located close to the Karnataka–Tamil Nadu border, barely 200 metres from Tamil Nadu. While other labourers working in the area managed to escape, Shivamurthy was caught alone and became the victim of the fatal attack. Heart-wrenching scenes were witnessed as family members broke down in grief upon seeing the body.
This is not an isolated incident in Hanur taluk. In a similar case reported in November last year, a wild elephant attacked two bike riders near Nellikatri, killing Kethegowda of Gombegallu village on the spot, while another person narrowly escaped.
Officials from the BRT Tiger Reserve had then visited the location and initiated relief measures. The victim’s family was provided an initial compensation of ₹5 lakh by the government.
Frequent elephant attacks in the forest fringes of Chamarajanagar have raised serious concerns over human safety, with locals demanding stronger preventive measures and effective management of elephant movement corridors to prevent further loss of life.
Also Read: Landlady murdered by tenant couple over unpaid rent, body stuffed in suitcase
