Two tribal persons killed in wild elephant attack in Kerala

    Thrissur (Kerala), Apr 15 (PTI) Two tribal persons who had gone to collect forest produce were found killed, allegedly in a wild elephant attack, in the Athirappilly forests of this district, police said on Tuesday.

    Congress leader V D Satheesan criticised the government for failing to prevent such incidents from occurring.
    However, State Forest Minister A K Saseendran said the incident had happened inside the forest and that he had sought an immediate report from the Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) on what exactly had occurred.
    The attack is suspected to have taken place around 7.30 pm on Monday, and the bodies of the deceased were sent to a nearby state-run hospital on Tuesday morning, they said.
     The deceased, Ambika and Satheesh, hailed from a tribal settlement in Vazhachal, near here.
    "They belonged to two tribal families staying in tents erected atop a rock to collect forest produce. It is suspected that a herd of wild elephants attacked the group during the night," a police officer said.
    A search is underway to verify whether more persons were trapped inside the forest after scattering in fear upon seeing the wild elephants at night, police sources said.
    Rema, a tribal woman who narrowly escaped from the elephant, said on Tuesday that they had gone into the forest to collect honey.
    The herd of elephants came from behind and attacked them while they were all sitting atop the rock near the waterfall, she said.
    "One of the elephants pushed me into the water. I swam to the other side of the shore and ran away to safety. I suffered injuries to my neck," she told the media.
    With this incident, the number of persons who died in wild elephant attacks in the state over the last two days has gone up to three.
    A 20-year-old tribal man was killed in a wild elephant attack in Malakkappara, in this district, on Sunday night.
     Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition Satheesan came down heavily on the state government and Forest Minister Saseendran, stating that the authorities were doing nothing despite three persons dying in wild elephant attacks over the last two days.
    In a statement, he said that despite repeated requests to take urgent measures, the government remained idle, leaving people living on the forest fringes to their fate.
    "The government should take immediate steps to ensure surveillance by special teams at spots where elephants frequently stray and to provide adequate protection to the people," he said.
    The LoP urged the Forest Minister to stop repeating the statement that wildlife attacks occur inside the forest.
    "Two tribal persons who went to collect forest produce have been killed. Tribals live in the forests as per the Forest Rights Act. It is the government's responsibility to provide them with security," he said.
     Noting that Kerala is facing an unprecedented situation where wildlife attacks are occurring daily, Satheesan alleged that the government and the Forest Department were the main “culprits” for failing to address the real problems.
    As many as 18 lives have been lost in wildlife attacks so far this year, he pointed out.
    The Lop said that when five people were killed by wild animals in February, the Forest Minister had assured immediate action to address the matter but had done nothing so far.
    The government’s indifference is unacceptable, as the entire high-range area is living under the shadow of fear, he said, adding that the job of the Forest Minister is not merely to seek reports.
    "If immediate action cannot be taken, why should he continue in office?" Satheesan asked the Forest Minister.
    While speaking to a TV channel, Minister Saseendran said the death of the two tribal persons was “utterly painful” and assured that all necessary financial aid and medical assistance would be provided to their families.
    "We have so far been discussing the straying of wild animals into human settlements, them attacking people, and the destruction of crops. But this incident happened inside the forests," he said, adding that the two situations are slightly different.
    Necessary action would be taken to prevent such incidents from occurring inside forests after receiving the report from the department, the minister added.
    Later in the day, District Collector Arjun Pandian visited the family members of the deceased and paid homage to them, an official statement said.
    He also handed over immediate financial aid of Rs five lakh each to the respective families.
    The Collector said he would recommend to the government that a temporary job be provided to a member of each family in the Forest Department, it said.
    A meeting would be convened in coordination with the Forest Department to examine the complaints of the local people, the Collector assured.
    The officer also informed that the Forest Department has been instructed to swiftly implement the construction of trenches and fencing in the area and that the issues that need to be considered by the government will be brought before it without any delay.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)