Siddapur: Hundreds of coffee planters and farmers staged a protest at Siddapur this morning demanding immediate action by the Forest Department to prevent wild elephant menace. They mobbed the Siddapur Police Station demanding a case be registered against the Department officials for preventing elephant menace. The protest was staged after a coffee planter was trampled by a wild elephant yesterday at Karadigodu near Siddapura. Kukkunoor Mohandas (68), a coffee grower, was trampled to death by an elephant herd in Karadigodu village limits yesterday. He came under the elephant herd attack while returning home after dropping a labourer in his estate.
Siddapur town observed a spontaneous bandh yesterday following his death. Residents alleged that estate labourers, school and college going children are living with fear in the affected areas. They blamed the State Government for its inaction in curbing the elephant menace. Over 75 people have died in the last 10 years and nearly 98 injured in the elephant attacks, with this year alone recording 12 deaths, they said.
