Erode: A farmer was killed in a wild elephant attack in Kadambur hills near Sathyamangalam, in Erode district on Saturday night.The deceased has been identified as M Thangavel, 58, of Irutti Palayam. Forest officials said the incident took place around 10pm when the farmer was heading to his field to protect his crops.Following the incident, villagers staged a protest demanding immediate action to capture and relocate the elephant. “Trenches must be dug along the forest boundary to prevent wild animals from entering human settlements,” said a protester.Meanwhile, his family refused to allow the police to remove his body, leading to tense arguments between the police and protesters. Kadambur forest officials subsequently arrived at the scene and held talks with the family and residents, after which they withdrew their two-hour long protest. They assured them of necessary steps to chase away stray elephants and dig up trenches.The farmer’s body was later sent to the government hospital in Gobichettipalayam for a postmortem.A case has been registered.
