Kerala MLA ‘vandalises’ forest office after yet another death from elephant attack, arrested

This is the fifth death from an elephant attack in Kerala over a period of one month. The other four cases were reported in Idukki and Ernakulam districts.

Regarding Saturday night’s incident, tribal development officer Madhu said, “Six people, including two children, were returning to their settlements after lodging their other wards in a tribal hostel at Edakkara, near Nilambur. They had to walk 10 km, for four hours, through the forest to reach their settlement. While the others walked along the banks of Karimpuzha river, Mani and son Manu Krishna opted for a nearby forest route and got trapped before the elephant.”

As the elephant trampled Mani, “the boy had a miraculous escape,” Madhu said. The others, who were walking some distance away, rushed to the spot to help. “They carried him (Mani) on their shoulders for around 2 km through the forest. The incident took place at around 8 pm, but it was around 11.40 pm when the injured Mani was brought to hospital at Nilambur,” the officer added.

Mani, a father of five children, was familiar with the forest and used to work as a guide for officials, sources said.

Expressing outrage over the incident, MLA Anvar on Sunday led his followers to the divisional forest office in Nilambur, which was allegedly vandalised by some of the protesters. Subsequently, police registered a case against Anvar and others.

After his arrest later in the day, Anvar told reporters that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his political secretary P Sasi were waiting to trap him. “The protest was quite natural. There is a conspiracy behind my arrest,” he said.

Last year, the CPI(M) cut ties with Anvar, who was an Independent legislator backed by Kerala’s ruling party. This came after he made several remarks criticising state government officers and also engaged in a war of words with CM Vijayan.

Subsequently, he floated a group named the Democratic Movement of Kerala.