Fearing elephant attack and police repression, villagers abandon homes in Mudigere

Mudigere: Fearing retaliation from an angry wild elephant herd as well as the local police force, villagers here are reportedly abandoning their homes.

The villagers fleeing their homes claimed that they felt unsafe living in their homes as the elephant herd that killed a woman on Sunday was still living in the area and was trumpeting angrily.

It may be recalled that 45-year-old Shobha Amritha had been trampled to death by a wild elephant in Hullemane Kundur village of Mudigere taluk here on Sunday morning when she had gone to the forest to fetch fodder.

Villagers claimed that the same herd had killed Anand Devadiga about 2 kms away from the spot where Sunday’s attack. Requests for chasing away the elephants have fallen on deaf ears, they alleged.

Moreover, villagers say, they fear severe police action for the assault on MLA M P Kumaraswamy when he visited the deceased woman’s house on Sunday evening. Some among the crowd were agitated after their grievances related to the tusker menace went unheard, they said.

Villagers also claimed that they had apologized for the misbehavior towards the elected representative and they had been assured no police action will be taken. However, police raided several villages including Hellemane, Kundra, and Kanagadde villages late at night on Tuesday, November 22.

The latest police action has further spooked the villagers and they are leaving their homes in search of safer places.

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