Gudalur: A 62-year-old plantation labourer was trampled to death by a wild elephant in New Hope village, O' Valley panchayat, on Monday morning. The deceased Mani worked at Manjushree Plantations and was attacked around 8.30 am while heading to the estate bungalow to open water connections in a cardamom plantation.

The elephant was hidden in thick vegetation when Mani and two others arrived at the plantation. His companions managed to escape. Mani is survived by his wife Sarala, son Satheesh and daughter Salini.

Following the incident, residents staged a massive protest, refusing to hand over the body for post-mortem examination and blocking roads across Gudalur taluk. They demanded immediate measures to curb recurring elephant attacks that have claimed multiple lives in the region.

Leading the agitation, Gudalur MLA Pon Jayasheelan accused forest officials of failing to act despite repeated alerts about elephant movements. He warned that public frustration could lead to retaliatory action against the animals. 

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