The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) called for a dawn-to-dusk hartal in Wayanad district in Kerala on Thursday in protest against the increasing number of wildlife attacks, which have resulted in multiple deaths.
The UDF leadership accused the state government of failing to take concrete action despite the frequent loss of human lives due to attacks by wild animals. Essential services, as well as travel for exams, marriages, and church festivals, have been exempted from the hartal.
UDF activists were seen blocking roads at various locations in the district, with television visuals capturing protests across Wayanad. However, police swiftly intervened, arresting and removing demonstrators to prevent disruptions.
The hartal was called after the tragic death of 27-year-old Balakrishnan, a member of the tribal community, who was killed in a wild elephant attack at a tea estate in Attamala near Chooralmala. The region, already familiar with devastation, witnessed a landslide last year that claimed over 200 lives. Balakrishnan was a resident of a paddy village near the estate, and his death has intensified concerns over the increasing threat posed by wildlife in the district.
The incident sparked protests among locals, who have been demanding urgent intervention from authorities. Residents allege that wild elephants have been causing havoc in the region for days, yet the Forest Department has failed to take effective measures to drive them away.
“The Forest Department has done nothing to chase away these wild elephants despite repeated attacks,” a local resident said.
The attack comes just a day after another man, 45-year-old Manu, a native of Noolpuzha, Wayanad, was killed in a similar elephant attack. The locality is a forest fringe area on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border in the district, the police said.
Manu’s body was found by the locals, who said he was attacked by a wild elephant while returning from a shop buying groceries.