Tension prevailed in Tumkur on Sunday morning as three wild elephants wandered in the city for nearly four hours. No one was injured in the incident.
The elephants that were in the Gulur tank area crossed the Ring Road near a restaurant around 4 a.m. and entered Sapthagiri Layout, triggering panic. Some local people alerted the police and Forest Department authorities. The elephants wandered in the city till around 7.30 a.m. They were seen at Dhobi Ghat Road, Ashok Nagar, Siddarameshwara Layout, Gokul Layout, SIT Layout, near the office of the Superintendent of Police and near the rear gate of the Siddaganga Institute of Technology.
A portion of the compound wall of an educational institution in Gangotri Layout was damaged by the elephants.
A large number of police personnel were on the streets to help Forest personnel in their efforts to drive the elephants out of the city.
Public address system was used to advise people against coming out of their houses. Paper boys were not allowed to collect newspapers and milk vendors in the areas where the elephants were roaming were asked to close their shops. Timely intervention by the police and Forest personnel ensured that no one was injured in the city. Police officers, including Additional Superintendent of Police R. Lakshman, were also present. Finally, Forest personnel drove the elephants back to the Gulur tank around 8.30 a.m.
Range Forest Officer Narasimhamurthy told The Hindu , “We are trying to drive the elephants back to the forests, but they go till Tumkur border and return to the district.”
He added that they would continue their efforts to drive the elephants back to the Bannerghatta National Park.
