Forest Minister Ramanath Rai had to end a government programme quickly, after wild bees attacked the crowd in Machche near Belagavi on Friday.
The crowd had gathered for the inauguration of a biodiversity park in Machche village. The Minister, who was among the people who got stung by the bees, attended the Assembly session later. The children among the crowd were not harmed.
Officials suspect the constant buzzing sound from a drone carrying the video camera startled the bees. The bees got out of their hives and stung around 6-7 persons. “The Minister may have been stung by one bee. But it was not serious. In fact, within a few minutes, he went to the Suvarna Soudha and participated in the Assembly session,” Krishna Udupudi, Conservator of Forests, Belagavi region, said.
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The 300-acre biodiversity park is named after Salu Marada Thimmakka. It abuts the VTU university campus. It has been developed at the cost of ₹2 crore, with the Central and State governments sharing the cost. It is among the 50 tree parks in urban areas, meant to serve as lung spaces, recreation spots and a place where young people are made aware of the need to conserve natural ecosystems.