Panic grips Chittoor-TN border hamlets after a farmer killed in jumbo attack

Panic gripped the hamlets near the Chittoor-Tamil Nadu border after a nine-member herd of untamed elephants fatally attacked a 52-year-old farmer at Tanjavur village of Yadamarri mandal (Chittoor district), 25 km from right here, on Thursday morning.

According to the villagers, the sufferer, Valligan (52), a speech and listening to impaired farmer, was reliving himself on the fringe of his area abutting a pond round 6.00 am, after ending his night time vigil. Farmers in the neighboring fields had been additionally on the point of return residence, after they noticed a nine-member herd of untamed elephants marching in direction of the forests of Paradarami (TN), after rising from the pond. In a few seconds, the herd beginning operating in direction of Valligan, whose again was going through the jumbos. The farmers made useless shouts to warn Valligan.

Divisional Forest Officer (Chittoor West) who performed an inquiry with eye-witnesses stated that a male tusker main the herd rushed towards Valligan, and after lifting him in the air had flung him to a distance of twenty ft. The jumbos trailing their chief had trampled him to loss of life, whereas the panicky villagers ran helter skelter.

“Unfortunately, Valligan, who is speech and hearing impaired, could not escape from the attack despite wild shouting by his colleagues in the field. To make things worse, the deceased was wearing a white shirt when the attack took place. It is a known fact that wild elephants get enraged when they look at any object that is white in color,” the DFO stated.

The official stated that the nine-member herd had been on prowl throughout Paradarami-Yadamarri forest belt since a month. “We are more worried as the herd has two babies, which often stray away from the group, forcing the other members to go in search of them, thus crisscrossing the fields abutting the forests. We have deployed additional force of forest watchers and elephant trackers in the region,” Mr Ravi Shankar stated.

Meanwhile, senior income, police and forest officers inspected the spot, and the sufferer’s physique was shifted to the Government Hospital at Chittoor for post-mortem. Puthalapattu MLA M.S. Babu spoke to the relations of Valligan, and organized an quantity of Rs 2 lakh for fast bills on behalf of the federal government. The deceased is survived by spouse, two single daughters and a son.