A 17-year-old student was killed in a tragic elephant attack near Bettathur village in Madikeri taluk on Saturday evening.
Pooja, daughter of Girish, was studying in First PUC at St. Michael’s School, Madikeri. She was walking home after alighting from a bus around 5.30 pm when a wild elephant reportedly attacked her. She died on the spot.
The body has been kept at the Madikeri Government Hospital mortuary. Villagers expressed anger against the Forest Department, alleging failure to prevent frequent elephant movement in the area.
Protest Over Compensation Cheque
On Sunday, villagers staged a road blockade on the Madikeri-Mangaluru highway at Made village, demanding justice for the deceased student.
Forest officials distributed compensation cheques to the family; however, protests intensified after villagers noticed that the cheque reportedly lacked an authorised signature. Protesters raised slogans condemning what they termed negligence by forest authorities.
Villagers demanded a government job for the victim’s brother and action against the concerned forest officer.
Forest officials informed that a major operation to capture wild elephants would be launched.
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