Chennai, Sep 17 (IANS): R. Chinnaswamy (63), a farmer from the Valliyur village in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore district was trampled to death by a wild elephant on Friday, police said.

The tragic incident occurred at his agricultural field. The farmer, according to the locals, used to go to his agricultural field at night to stand vigil as wild animals destroyed his crops.

The police at Valliyur told IANS that he was lying down in the agricultural field on Thursday and was probably attacked by a wild elephant on Friday around 1.30 a.m.

The police said that the body of Chinnaswamy bore injuries on his chest and right leg.

The Tamil Nadu forest department officials received information on the attack and immediately reached the spot and took Chinnaswamy to the Thondamuthur government hospital. He was declared brought dead on arrival.

The body was later sent for post-mortem at the Coimbatore government medical college hospital. The forest department officials handed over an amount of Rs 50,000 as immediate assistance to the family of the victim.

Senior officials said that an amount of Rs 3.5 lakh would be handed over to the family of Chinnaswamny soon as compensation and assistance.

The conflict between man and animals has been taking place in and around the forest area of Coimbatore district and recently also a herd of wild elephants had destroyed crops being cultivated in areas adjoining the forest land.