PALAKKAD: The locals turned against the forest department in connection with the death of Alan (24), son of Vinu of Kannadanchola in Kayaramkode ward of Mundur panchayat in Palakkad, in an elephant attack. The locals said the forest department failed to inform about the wild elephants entering the area and the youth would not have lost his life if had informed them. CPM district committee member P A Gokuldas clarified that Alan's life would not have been lost if the forest department had intervened properly.

Wild elephants are rampant in the area. The locals said that although fencing has been done in the area, it has not been done in one part where there are rocks and that elephants often enter this way. They alleged that they cannot freely walk around the place due to the wild elephants. Alan and his mother were attacked by a herd of wild elephants on their way back from a shop without knowing about the elephants entering the area. The tehsildar clarified that the forest department was asked to prevent wild animal nuisance in the Kayaramkode Oduvankadu area where the incident happened.

It is reported that the entire Malampuzha constituency including Mundur is experiencing severe wild elephant attacks and nine people have died in wild elephant attacks here in a short period of time. The wild elephant attacked Alan and his mother at around 8 pm last night. The locals came to know about the wild elephant attack when Alan's grandmother mother, who was with them, called her friends on the phone.