Senior Congress leader and Wayanad MP, Rahul Gandhi, has written a letter to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, urging immediate and decisive action following a recent fatal elephant attack in Wayanad district. The incident resulted in the tragic death of Ajeesh Panachiyil from Payyampally, who was the sole breadwinner for his family and the primary caregiver for his bedridden mother.
In the letter, Rahul Gandhi said, "I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to you regarding the shocking demise of Ajeesh Panachiyil from Payyampally. He was fatally attacked by an elephant. Another life has been tragically lost in Wayanad due to a wildlife attack. He was not only the sole breadwinner of his family but also the primary caregiver for his bedridden mother. My heart goes out to his family, especially his ailing mother and young children," ANI quoted.
"The spate of wildlife attacks, especially elephant attack, has caused tremendous damage to the lives and livelihoods of the people of Wayanad. The people in my constituency have paid a huge price due to the rising instances of human-animal conflict, and our communities, especially those residing adjacent to the forests, live in perpetual fear," it said.
"We have time and again raised the issue of human-wildlife conflict and sought your intervention to mitigate such attacks in Wayanad, particularly to protect our farmers. However, the lack of a comprehensive
action plan to tackle this issue has only served to aggravate the conflict," the letter stated.
"In this backdrop, I urge the state government to take decisive action to protect our communities and to put in place an efficient, quick response mechanism for emergencies of this nature. I would also like to request
that the state government enhance compensation for the families of the deceased," it said further.
Responding to the incident, the Kerala government announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh and assured a job for one family member of the deceased. The state's Forest Minister, AK Saseendran, directed the district collector and police chief to collaborate with local body representatives to tranquilize the tusker responsible for the attack.
The Kerala Forest Department had confirmed the presence of a tusker, fitted with a radio collar by the Karnataka Forest Department, in the Wayanad forest area two days prior to the incident. Local protests ensued, alleging negligence on the part of the forest department for not taking preventive action despite the prior confirmation.
Notably, a similar incident involving the rogue tusker Thanneer Komban occurred in Wayanad last week, resulting in the death of the elephant after it was tranquilized and captured.