Sulthan Bathery: Wayanad remained tense on Tuesday as forest officials faced strong protests from local residents while they attempted to retrieve the body of a tribal man killed in a wild elephant attack. The incident took place near Noolpuzha, close to the Tamil Nadu border.

Forest officials, led by Wayanad Wildlife Warden Varun Daliah, arrived at the site around 11 am, only to be met with a blockade by enraged locals and representatives of political parties. The protesters prevented officials from removing the body for postmortem examination, demanding immediate action and compensation for the victim’s family.

The situation was eventually defused after intervention from political leaders and DySP Abdul Shereef, who assured the protesters that proper compensation would be provided. Following this, the Noolpuzha police conducted an inquest and the body was shifted to Sulthan Bathery Taluk Hospital for postmortem.

The deceased is Manu (45), a resident of Vellari Colony in Tamil Nadu, near Kappad colony in Kerala. The attack occurred on Monday night while Manu was returning from Vellari Kavala. His wife, Chandrika, who had gone missing after the attack, was later found and taken to Noolpuzha police station. Manu and his family were visiting relatives in Kappad Colony. He is survived by his wife and three children. The attack took place near an iron bridge along the Noolpuzha-Kappad route, about 14 km from Sulthan Bathery.