KOLHAPUR: A forest labourer Prakash Govind Patil (54) resident of Gawase village in Ajara district got killed in Tusker (elephant) attack that took place while the elephant eviction campaign was underway by the forest department officials. The incident took place in the forest area of Ghatkarwadi village in Kolhapur district at around 11am.
On Saturday from 9am onwards, a campaign to evict the Tusker which had caused menace in the Ghatkarwadi village surroundings from last eight days was undertaken by forest department staff and villagers. The forest department labourers were giving different kinds of call to shoo away the Tusker.
While the forest department staff was walking down a trail route thinking that the Tusker has gone aside, a Tusker appeared from nowhere all of a sudden from the thick bushes. The Tusker took Prakash Patil by his trunk, spun it around and hit him on the ground along with loud trumpet sound made in aggression. The accompanying staff ran away from the spot in fear. After a while, the Tusker left the spot and went towards the thick forest.
When the forest department staff came at the spot again after few minutes, they found that Prakash Patil had died on the spot. Senior officials of the forest department also reached the spot immediately.
For the last 10 years, the villagers from Ajara tehsil have been demanding that the Tusker should be evicted from the region. Now with the death of forest department employee, will some solution over Tusker menace be finally found is what the local dwellers are questioning.
