A protest erupted in Kerala’s Kothamangalam town on Monday over the surge in human-animal conflicts, as demonstrators carried the casket of an elderly woman who fell victim to a fatal elephant attack earlier in the day in the Idukki district.
The protest, which took place in Kothamangalam, a town bordering Ernakulam and Idukki districts, was led by Congress legislator Mathew Kuzhalnadan and Idukki MP Dean Kuriakose.
They were joined by hundreds of local people who refused to hand over the body of the victim, Indira Ramakrishnan, for post-mortem.
A scuffle with the police broke out during the protest, with protesters taking to the streets chanting ‘Police go back’.
The victim’s family also demanded that the post-mortem be carried out after addressing the problem of the wild animal menace in the state.
The body was reportedly forcibly taken from the mortuary for the protest, leading to heated verbal exchanges between the police and the leaders.
The police informed the leaders that it was not right to protest with the body, which had been sent for an inquest.
This led to a verbal dispute between them. Visuals aired by news channels showed Ernakulam DCC president Mohammad Shias pushing a senior police officer.
Idukki MP Kuriakose said that the police should be held accountable for insulting the dead by bringing the body on the road.
The leaders also said that the protest would only end after the ministers reached the spot. Later, the police forcibly seized the body.
The 70-year-old died in the wild elephant attack in the Kanjiraveli area under the Adimali police station limits on Monday morning.
She was trampled by the elephant when she ventured into a rubber plantation near the forest area to serve breakfast for her husband, who was engaged in some work there. Neighbours rushed to her aid upon hearing her screams. Despite being taken to a nearby hospital in Kothamangalam, she succumbed to her injuries, police said.
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