Thiruvananthapuram: A wild elephant killed Pathanapuram native and MGNREGS worker Rajamma (80) at Kadassery in Piravanthoor grama panchayat at 9am on Monday. The incident happened when she and other workers, who had gathered at the worksite, were taking photos before starting the day’s work. The photos are to be submitted to the panchayat as part of their work-related procedure.Residents said the wild elephant approached the group from behind without a warning. On noticing the animal, they ran away. It attacked Rajamma, who could not move to a safer place. Witnesses said Rajamma sustained grievous injuries after the wild elephant flung her to the ground.Workers and residents, who immediately informed the forest department about the incident, said that nobody reached the spot promptly. People subsequently took Rajamma to a hospital where she was declared brought dead.Rajamma’s body was kept at the mortuary after an autopsy. Her funeral was held at her residence in the afternoon. Rajamma was the wife of (late) Ramachandran Pillai. She is survived by her children Manoj, Mahesh, Manju and Rama.The incident triggered protests at Kadassery forest station, where a large number of residents gathered and demanded urgent steps to prevent further wild elephant attacks in the area. Residents also raised concerns over the safety of MGNREGS workers, who are required to undertake work in areas close to forest fringes.Following the protest, Pathanapuram MLA Jyothikumar Chamakkala, district panchayat member Vishnu Bhagath, Piravanthoor grama panchayat president and other elected representatives held discussions with senior forest officers, including the chief conservator of forests and the divisional forest officer.After discussions, a decision was taken to expedite steps to drive the elephant back into the forest. Authorities also decided to deploy two rapid response teams at Kadassery to monitor the area and respond to further wild elephant incursions. Residents demanded sustained monitoring along forest fringe areas and immediate intervention to prevent wild elephants from entering areas frequented by workers and residents.
