A legislator of the ruling BJP in Karnataka was allegedly beaten up by a group of villagers in Chikkamagaluru district on Sunday. The villagers, who were reportedly angry over the continuous elephant attacks in the region, alleged that the MLA did not respond properly to provide relief to the people.
Ten people have been arrested.
Mudigere MLA M.P. Kumaraswamy was on his way to express condolences to the family of a woman, who was killed in an elephant attack, when he was assaulted by villagers at Hullemane. The mob also allegedly tore his clothes before the police rescued and escorted him to his vehicle.
Shobha, a local woman, was trampled to death by a wild elephant on Sunday morning.
According to an ANI report, the villagers are complaining that the elephant attack is frequent in the region, but neither the local administration nor the MLA has taken any concrete step to provide relief to people.
Kumaraswamy, however, later said that the attack on him was well-planned. In a video statement, he also accused the police department under his own government of failing to give him protection.
As the attacks of elephants and other animals on crops and villagers increased, Mudigere taluk coffee growers president Balakrishna has sought the Union government's intervention and also demanded a special task force to tackle the elephant menace, reported the news agency.
