Police seized the dead body of Indira Ramakrishnan (72) from the protesters in Kothamangalam. Indira was trampled by a wild elephant in Neryamangalam, Idukki district, very close to Kothamangalam, Ernakulam district. She was attacked by the elephant when she went to their agricultural farm to serve tea for her husband. The incident took place on March 4. Congress leaders and protesters took a strong stand that they would not hand over the body to the Police until the Forest Minister visited there and ensured that there would not be any more casualties due to wild animal attacks.
Protesters placed the mobile mortuary of Indira in the middle of the road and blocked the highway. By that time, Police entered the scene. The protesters asserted that they would not part with Indira’s dead body until their demand was fulfilled. Protestors, including the brother of the deceased, lay down on the mobile unit to stop the Police from taking it away. It resulted in the push and shove between the protesters and the Police. At last, the Police prevailed; they pushed the protesters away from the site and took the mobile mortuary by force. They dragged it on the road for a while, and then it was loaded into an ambulance. But, as the picture shows, they could not close the door of the ambulance because they did not load the unit into the vehicle properly. Several protesters, including Indira’s brother, were injured in the police action. They are hospitalised.
The protest was led by Congress leaders Deen Kuriakode MP (Idukki Lok Sabha constituency), Eldos Kunnappilli MLA, Ernakulam District Congress Committee President Mohammed Shiyas, Mathew Kuzhalnadan MLA and around 80 others. They are charged for taking the dead body away, by force, from the Taluk hospital.
Congress came down heavily on the Police for taking the body away by force. Congress leader Mathew Kuzhalnadan MLA said that the Government is mad. Police used force to seize the body and took it away when the meeting with the district collector was going to take place at any moment. All right-thinking people observe this incident as the desecration of a dead body. Indira’s body was handed over to her family members after the post-mortem.
Eight human beings lost their life so far this year in wild animal attacks.
Trampling of elephant
January 8 : Primala (44) [Panniyar, Idukki]
January 22 : Soundar Rajan (68) [Chinnakkalal, Idukki]
January 23 : K. Palraj (74) [Moonnaar, Idukki]
February 10: Ajeesh (47) [Mananthavadi, Wayanad]
February 16: Paul (52) [Kuruva, Wayanad]
February 26: Sureshkumar (45) [Kannimala, Idukki]
March 4 : Indira Ramakrishnan (71) [Adimali, Idukki]
March 5: Valsa (68) [Athirappilli, Thrissur]
Attack by bison
March 5: Abraham 70) [Kakkayam, Kozhikode]
Attack by wild boar
March 5: Shafeeq, [Karakunnu, Malappuram] auto driver died as his vehicle overturned when he swerved it to avoid wild boars on the road.
The people of Kerala, in general, and people living in the localities of the departed souls and their relatives are very much upset and angry about the tragedies taking place in different districts of the State. Both the CM and the Forest Minister play hide and seek; they do not find time to visit the relatives of the victims to console them.
BJP State President K Surendran alleged that the State Government failed to protect the people from wild animals. He demanded the resignation of the Forest Minister. Other States resort to the most modern methods to protect their people from wild animals, but Kerala still follows the obsolete methods.
