Daijiworld Media Network – Madikeri (SP)

Madikeri, Mar 17: Supreeta (16), younger daughter of Indushekhar, an agriculturist from Neergunda village, and a student of Kirikodli Mutt in Kodlipet in Kodagu district, lost her life on Wednesday March 16, after a rogue elephant picked her up with its trunk and tossed her away.

Supreeta, a tenth standard student, was going to attend her tuition classes in nearby Kodlipet in the morning, along with her classmate, Ragini. When both of them were passing through the road in their village, a rogue elephant suddenly appeared before them. Both of them abandoned their bicycles out of fear, and ran away. However, the elephant followed Supreeta and killed her, it is learnt. Ragini lied down in the roadside drain, and had a providential escape.

School teachers said that Supreeta was a brilliant student. Deputy forest conservator, Prasanna Kumar, range forest officer, Jayaprakash, tahsildar, Devaraj, and other officials visited the spot. They promised to get the compensation of two lac rupees the victim’s family is eligible to from the government, at an early date. The post mortem of the girl was conducted at Kodlipet primary health centre.

The residents, noting that a number of people are sighting lonely elephants wandering around in various villages in the region, and that crop and other assets are destroyed by them, urged the forest officials to take immediate action. The officials said they will immediately employ officials to drive this particular cow elephant, which has been roaming around lonely in the region, into the forests.