Madikeri: A wild elephant killed an estate watchman in Badaga-Banangala village near Siddapur Thursday. Abdul Latif, 72, of Hundi, who worked as a watchman on the estate, was attacked around 1pm while he was heading for lunch. A lone tusker charged at him, forcing other workers to flee.
Villagers rushed Latif to the Siddapur community health centre, where he was declared dead.Another labourer, Deepak, narrowly escaped when he tried to help Latif. The elephant turned towards him, and he fell while fleeing, injuring his leg, eyewitnesses said. Locals claimed the same elephant had attacked villagers earlier this week and accused forest department of failing to take preventive steps.Virajpet RFO KV Shivaram inspected the spot. Siddapur police conducted the mahazar and registered a case. Forest department issued an emergency compensation cheque of Rs 5 lakh to Latif’s family.Virajpet MLA and chief minister’s legal advisor AS Ponnanna spoke to the RFO.Forest staff from Virajpet and Thithimathi ranges, along with the RRT and elephant task force, launched a joint operation to monitor the tusker’s movement. Officials said a proposal would be sent to the govt to capture the animal in view of the repeated attacks.
