NAGARHOLE
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KOLAVIGAE ELEPHANT ELECTRICUTION.

Grudge-Battle Claims the Life of an Elephant

INCERT Investigative report dated 18th may 2002

In yet another tusker tragedy, a prime tusker was allegedly electrocuted by a farmer, near Kolavige bridge, built across river Lakshmana Thirtha, outside the northern limits of the Nagarhole National Park, on Tuesday the 14th May 2002. This unfortunate incidence happened due to the ongoing grudge battle between the villagers of Negathur and Kolavige

According to sources of the Kolavige village, it is alleged that in February 2002, a female elephant was shot dead in the same area by the villagers of Negathur, when the elephant was trying to eat-up their crop. A villager of Kolavige had witnessed the killing of this elephant and informed the police and the forest officers. Based on the information provided by the villager of Kolavige, the police had booked cases against the alleged culprits from Negathur village.

The Negathur villagers were nursing their open wounds, and were waiting for an opportunity to take revenge against the informant from the Kolavige village.

It so happened that the informant had informally leased out his fields or growing paddy to a person from the Negathur village. In order to settle scores, the Negathur villagers hatched a plan and coaxed the lessee to draw power from the pump house and electrify the fence, and their plans were duly implemented by the lessee, it is alleged.

The unsuspecting twelve year old tusker, briskly walked towards the paddy crop and was unwittingly electrocuted, in the process. Thus the grudge-battle between the villagers of Kolavige and Negathur had taken its toll.

Now the authorities are trying to trace the owner of the land, who is the prime suspect in the electrocution case. Paradoxically, he was the informant in the earlier February elephant shooting incidence!

On Thursday, the forest officials performed the postmortem, removed the tusks and burnt the carcass of the elephant.