A tragic incident occurred during an elephant eviction campaign conducted by forest department officials in the forest area of Ghatkarwadi village in Kolhapur district, Maharashtra. A forest laborer, Prakash Govind Patil (54) from Gawase village in Ajara district, lost his life in an elephant attack during the operation.
The incident unfolded around 11 am while forest department staff and villagers were collaborating on a campaign to remove a troublesome tusker that had been causing disturbances in the Ghatkarwadi village surroundings for the past eight days. The efforts to scare away the tusker involved various calls and strategies.
During the operation, the forest department staff believed the tusker had moved aside and proceeded along a trail route. However, to their surprise, the tusker suddenly emerged from thick bushes. The tusker swiftly grabbed Prakash Patil with its trunk, swung him around, and forcefully threw him to the ground while trumpeting loudly in aggression. Terrified, the accompanying staff fled the scene.
The tusker eventually retreated into the dense forest, leaving behind a tragic aftermath. When the forest department staff returned to the site a few minutes later, they discovered that Prakash Patil had tragically lost his life. Senior forest department officials promptly arrived at the scene.
Residents of Ajara tehsil had been advocating for the removal of the tusker from the area for the past decade. With the forest department employee's death, questions loom over whether a resolution to the tusker menace will finally be reached.