In yet another man-animal conflict on the city’s fringes, two personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) manning a sentry post of the Dog Breeding and Training School at Tharalu village were killed by a wild tusker early on Sunday.
The elephant, Forest Department officials believe, was on its way to Bannerghatta forests from Savandurga, and the school is a few metres from the Bannerghatta forests.
Around 6.30 a.m., the elephant attacked the sentry post manned by four personnel, including the victims — assistant sub-inspector H. Dakshina Murthy (55) hailing from Vellore in Tamil Nadu and constable Kuttappa Lamani (35) from Haveri. Two others had a narrow escape.
The elephant crossed a six-ft trench cut around the school and caught Murthy who was using the toilet near the trench, by surprise. The elephant threw him to the ground and charged at the other three, damaging a motorcycle and the camp in the process. Mr. Lamani, who was near the camp, rushed to a bleeding Mr. Murthy and was giving him water when the elephant trampled both, killing them instantaneously.
While Mr. Murthy is survived by three daughters, Mr. Lamani is survived by two daughters and a son. The CRPF personnel paid their last respects to the dead and shifted the bodies to their home towns.
The Forest Department immediately stepped up patrolling in the area and formed three special teams to comb the nearby forest to push the elephant into the forest. “It’s a very tragic incident and we will take steps to pay suitable compensation for the family of the deceased,” said Javed Mumtaz, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Bannerghatta.
