Concern for his family led him into elephants’ path

June 25, 2013 10:49 am | Updated November 16, 2021 10:21 pm IST - BANGALORE:

A. Shyam (32), hospitalised with grievous injuries after he was attacked by an elephant Monday morning, was alerted early enough by his neighbours that a herd had entered his village, Dommasandra in Sarjapur hobli.

A power loom unit employee, he decided to drop his wife to work to ensure her safety. However, he apparently did not exercise the same caution for himself.

“He dropped me to work at 8 a.m., and within half an hour I got a call saying he was injured after an elephant attacked him,” said his wife Nandini Shyam (27), sitting outside the open heart post-operative intensive care unit of St. John’s Hospital here.

His relatives and friends said they had no idea what provoked the herd or the nature of the attack.

His brother A. Nagesh said: “He, along with the gram panchayat officials, decided to chase away the elephants from the village as it was time for children to go to school.”

Minutes after they set out, Mr. Nagesh heard that his brother was grievously injured. “We immediately rushed him to hospital.” The family has no clue what happened to the others accompanying Mr. Shyam.

The family, even as it hopes for his quick recovery, is worried about the cost of treatment. “We don’t know how we can afford it. The government has not promised us any help,” Mr. Nagesh said.

Under observation

George D’ Souza, chief of medical services at the hospital, said Mr. Shyam has suffered several rib fractures. “We have decided to keep him under observation for three to four days. However, there are no major internal injuries.”

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