Govt gives Rs 10 lakh aid to elephant attack victim's family; hartal in Kothamangalam today

Kothamangalam: The Kerala government has provided Rs 10 lakh as compensation to the family of Eldhose, who was trampled to death by a wild elephant at Urulanthanni here. Ernakulam District Collector NSK Umersh handed over the cheque to the family amid a six-hour-long public protest. Kodiyattu Eldhose (45) was attacked by the elephant while returning home from work on Monday evening.

Shocked by the incident, the locals staged a massive protest with Eldhose's body, alleging negligence on the part of the forest department in preventing wild animal attacks in the region. Protesters blocked the police from shifting the body to the hospital, continuing their agitation for hours. Eldhose's body will be handed over to the relatives after postmortem at Government Medical College Hospital in Ernakulam.

However, the district collector and public representatives managed to pacify the protesters by assuring them that preventive measures, including the construction of trenches and the installation of fences, would begin on Tuesday. A meeting chaired by the district collector is scheduled for December 27 to review the progress of these works and address public concerns. During discussions, officials also promised that streetlights would be installed in the area within five days.

The protest was temporarily called off around 2 am on Tuesday, allowing the police to transport Eldhose's body to the hospital. Meanwhile, the joint action committee has called for a hartal in Kuttampuzha and Kothamangalam on Tuesday. The Congress party will also hold a protest march at 3 pm.

Kothamangalam has reported two deaths from elephant attacks within the last three days. On Saturday, a female engineering student was killed when a palm tree, uprooted by an elephant, fell on a two-wheeler. The deceased, Ann Mary C.V. (21), a native of Thrissur, was riding pillion on a bike driven by her friend Altaf Aboobacker when the incident occurred around 6 pm near the Nagarampara forest office at Chembankuzhy.