Protesters demand action against elephant menace

Demanding a check on the wild elephant menace, the coffee growers and labourers staged a roadblock and later attempted to lay siege to the police station urging the police to file an FIR against forest officials, on Tuesday.

On Monday, Coffee grower Mohandas had lost his life after an elephant attacked him at Karadigodu.

The protesters shouted slogans against the government and blocked the road. They alleged that the Centre and state governments have not taken any concrete steps to check the menace.

Cheranda Nanda Subbaiah said, "the forest department pays a meagre amount of Rs 5 lakh for the loss of life in an elephant attack. The government should fix at least Rs 2 crore as compensation for loss of life."

Former MLC Arun Machaiah welcomed the court order to relocate wild elephants in Hassan. However, the forest department has failed to implement the court order, he said.

Bowing to pressure from the protesters, the police filed an FIR against forest officials.