In a tragic incident, a radio-collared wild elephant on the run trampled a man to death in front of a home at Padamala near Mananthavady in Kerala’s Wayanad district on Saturday morning.

The deceased has been identified as Panachiyil Aji, 47, a native of Payyampalli near Mananthavady.

When the pachyderm charred at him, Aji ran to the compound of a house for safety. The wild elephant smashed open the gate and trampled him, much to the horror of the local residents.

Recounting the incident, a local said, “At 6 O’clock in the morning, the elephant rushed towards Aji while he was walking on the road. Aji entered the yard of a nearby house in a hurry, but the elephant broke the gate of the house open and entered the yard. While running for safety as he saw the elephant advancing towards him, he faltered and fell to the ground. The elephant kicked and trampled him to death.”

The wild elephant was previously captured by the Karnataka Forest Department after the animal had turned a regular crop raider and unleashed havoc in human habitats in Belur in the Hassan forest division of Karnataka. The elephant was tranquillised and captured on October 30, 2023. The animal was radio-collared and later released at the Moolahalle forest range close to the Kerala border

Following the fateful incident, massive protests broke out in Mananthavady on Saturday.  People gathered in large numbers at the Gandhi Junction in Mananthavady town in protest. Due to the protest, the traffic in the area remained stalled for hours.

Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC have been enforced in Kurukkanmoola, Payyambally Kuruva, Kadankolly of Mananthavady Municipality after public protests.

Following protests by locals, the Kerala government announced Rs 10-lakh compensation and a job to the kin of the deceased.

State Forest Minister A K Saseendran said the need of the hour is to allow tempers to cool down in the wake of the most unfortunate incident of a man losing his life. “We all understand the feelings of the people,” he said.

The Forest Department has also decided to take steps to tranquilise the wild elephant and then release it into the deep forest, he said.