Chikkamagaluru: The human–wild elephant conflict in the Malnad region continues unabated, with a woman trampled to death at Hunsehalli near Balehonnur on Sunday morning—the second such fatal attack in the same area within a week.The victim, 45-year-old Boramma, a daily-wage labourer from Vijayanagar district, was killed while working in a coffee plantation. On Feb 16, another daily-wage worker from Haveri was trampled to death in the same locality. Following that incident, forest department officials had launched an operation on Friday to capture the elephant responsible.Within hours of Boramma’s death, the elephant was traced and captured near Beranagodu, barely a kilometre from the attack site. The operation was carried out using six captive elephants.As news of the latest death spread, hundreds of villagers gathered at Kadabagere and staged a massive protest, placing the body on the road. Angry residents accused both forest officials and elected representatives of failing to address the recurring conflict. They named forest minister Eshwar B Khandre, MLA TD Rajegowda and MP Kota Shrinivasa Poojary among those responsible for the inaction.Despite repeated attempts by the MLA to pacify the crowd, the protesters refused to relent and demanded a permanent solution to the escalating conflict in the region.Various farmers organisations in Sringeri assembly constituency have called for Sringeri constituency bandh on Monday to condemn lathicharge against the protesters in Kadabagere in the district.The members of various organisations had staged a protest to condemn the elephant attack on a woman when the police resorted to lathicharge as the situation went out of control.The police also took former minister DN Jeevaraj, president of Sringeri Kshetra Raita Okkutta Vishwanath Gaddemane and others into custody. However, the members of farmers associations gathered in front of Balehonnur Police station in large numbers to condemn police action.The agitators also blamed MLA T D Rajegowda and the state govt for anti-farmers’ move.
