COIMBATORE: Gudalur estate workers led by AIADMK MLA Pon Jayaseelan resorted to a road block protest after a 65-year-old woman was trampled to death by a wild elephant in Pandalur on Tuesday morning.
According to the Forest Department, Lakshmi, wife of Paramasivam from TANTEA Range in Nelliyalam, near Pandalur in the Nilgiris, was washing vessels in front of her house when she came under attack by a jumbo around 6.30 am. She was caught unaware when the elephant approached and trampled her to death on the spot, forest officials said.
The Bitherkad Forest Department staff sent the body of the deceased for a post-mortem at Pandalur Government Hospital. Irritated by the incident, the workers stayed away from work and resorted to a road blockade protest on Bazaar Road in Kolapalli. Shops also remained shut in the neighbourhood, raising their opposition over man-animal conflict incidents.
A team of officials, comprising representatives from the Forest Department, police, and Revenue Department, arrived and held talks with the protesting villagers.
Protesters demanded the deployment of kumkis to drive away the wild elephant, urged officials to conduct night patrols, dig a trench to block the movement of wild jumbos, and erect solar fencing to prevent elephant intrusions into human habitats.
Following assurances given by authorities, the workers withdrew their protest, which resulted in disruption of traffic for over two hours on the stretch. Over 100 cops were deployed in the locality as a precaution.