Man killed in wild elephant attack in Kerala's Wayanad, locals stage protest
Wayanad (Kerala): A 42-year-old man died after being attacked by a wild elephant that strayed into human settlement near Mananthavady here on Saturday morning, police said.
Aji died at Mananthavady Medical College where he was admitted following the attack that occurred at around 7.30 am today, they said.
CCTV visuals showed the wild elephant fitted with a radio collar damaging the compound wall of a house and attacking the man.
Meanwhile, angered locals staged a flash protest by blocking the Mananthavady-Mysore, Mananthavady-Kozhikode and Thalassery roads.
The vehicles of the local MLA and the District police chief were also blocked by the agitators, who raised 'go back' slogans.
Kerala Forest Minister A K Saseendran termed as 'shocking' the death of the man and said the frequent news of man-animal conflict coming from Wayanad was a matter of concern.
On Friday night a forest wildlife watcher was grievously injured in a tiger attack and he is undergoing treatment, he said.
The Minister said more response teams will be sent to the locality and a decision on whether to drive it back into the forest or capture it and take it to the rehabilitation centre, will be taken soon.
Saseendran said the Chief Minister's office was looking into the concerns of the people of Wayanad, who are suffering from animal attacks and the subsequent crop loss.
Locals alleged that the elephant crossed Kerala border and reached Kuruvadweep locality early in the morning but the forest department failed to announce the same and warn the people from venturing out.
Currently, the district administration has issued prohibitory orders in multiple wards of Mananthavady.
Recently, a jumbo from Karnataka, called 'Thanneer Komban', fitted with a radio collar had ventured into Mananthavady town and roamed the streets for over 16 hours after which it was tranquilised. However, upon being shifted to Karnataka, that elephant had died.
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Heavy rain, hailstorms likely to lash Uttarakhand on Tuesday; IMD issues warning
Dehradun/Pithoragarh (PTI): The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning for heavy rain and hailstorms across several districts of Uttarakhand on Tuesday, as temperatures remained markedly below normal in the region.
Heavy rainfall is likely at isolated places in Dehradun, Haridwar, Tehri, Pauri, Nainital, Champawat, and Udham Singh Nagar districts. Most places across all districts are expected to receive light to moderate rain or thunderstorms, while higher reaches are likely to witness snowfall, officials said on Monday.
The weather department warned of thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, hail and intense spells of rain in six districts, including Dehradun and Nainital. Gusty winds with speeds reaching 40-50 kmph are also expected at isolated locations in these areas and other hilly districts.
In the state capital, Dehradun, the sky is forecast to remain partly cloudy with light rain and thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds of 30-40 kmph.
The maximum and minimum temperatures in the city are expected to hover around 31 degrees Celsius and 19 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Maximum temperatures during the past 24 hours remained markedly below normal in the hills and appreciably below normal in the plains. While no significant change in temperature is expected over the next 2-3 days, the IMD predicts a rise of 3-5 degrees Celsius during the subsequent 3-4 days.
Rainfall was recorded in several areas after 8.30 am today, with Ramnagar receiving 31.5 mm and Nainital recording 26.5 mm. Other areas, including Pithoragarh, Khatima and Champawat, also reported moderate precipitation.
Authorities have stopped a batch of 36 Adi Kailash pilgrims at the Dharchula base camp and placed the high-altitude yatra route on high alert following heavy rains and hailstorms in the district on Monday.
Dharchula SDM Ashish Joshi said the pilgrimage was halted due to adverse weather conditions. The issuance of new inner-line passes has been suspended until the weather normalises.
With 1,700 passes issued so far, pilgrims already at higher camps are being monitored for safety, the official added.
