'Who fired first': Congress-led Kerala panchayat's showdown on killing boars, plaint against CPM members

Kozhikode: In the forest-fringed panchayat of Koorachundu in Kozhikode, wild boars have become prized trophies for political showmanship. The boar menace has triggered a turf war within the local body, with the president of the UDF-ruled panchayat approaching the police and the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Kakkayam against the LDF members.

The panchayat head has filed a complaint over the shooting of wild boars in Koorachundu and Vattachira wards on Saturday night, arguing that the panchayat had officially scheduled the operation for Sunday during daytime hours. Countering this, the LDF members argue that the complaint was motivated not by procedural concerns but by the UDF’s wounded ego after wild boar shooting was conducted first in LDF-controlled wards.

Following repeated grievances from farmers about wild boar attacks in areas falling under the Kakkayam Forest Division, panchayat president Sini Jose, as honorary wildlife warden under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, recently issued an order permitting the shooting of wild boars.

The panchayat had planned to conduct the shooting operation on Sunday in the Ottappalam and Kannadippara areas, which were declared containment zones as part of safety and preparatory measures. On Sunday morning, panchayat authorities organised a formal gathering, including a photo session with officials and a 35-member hunting team arranged by the Kerala Independent Farmers’ Association (KIFA), comprising 18 empanelled shooters.

The operation later resulted in the killing of 12 wild boars in Ottappalam and four in Kannadippara by evening.

However, on the previous night, LDF members from the Koorachundu and Vattachira wards had independently arranged five shooters through the Karshaka Sangham collective and carried out an operation in which three wild boars were shot.

Visuals of the Saturday night shooting in Koorachundu and Vattachira wards began circulating widely on social media from Sunday morning, triggering strong reactions from the panchayat authorities.

“As per the decision taken earlier, the shooting was to be conducted only on Sunday at designated locations where safety arrangements were in place. The shooting carried out on Saturday night was illegal and violated established rules. Hunting of wild animals can be done only after proper preparations. What happened in Koorachundu and Vattachira was a clear violation, and we demand strict action against those responsible,” panchayat president Sini Jose said.

Rejecting the allegations, N K Kunhahammed, member of the Koorachundu ward, said the night-time operation was lawful. “Containment zones are not required for night operations. We had permission to shoot wild boars in our wards based on the panchayat president’s order. We brought empanelled shooters and carried out the operation as the permission was set to expire on Sunday night,” he said, adding that the police complaint was prompted by the fact that LDF members carried out the shooting before the UDF-led panchayat’s planned photo session.

“This is purely a case of hurt ego. They wanted a build-up with meetings and photo shoots. Our priority was to stop the wild boar menace, not publicity. That is why we acted on Saturday night. There is nothing wrong in what we did,” Kunhahammed said.

He further alleged that the UDF’s move was politically motivated, claiming that the UDF was unsettled by its recent electoral defeat in the Koorachundu and Vattachira wards—traditionally considered strongholds of the Muslim League.

“If the panchayat proceeds with its complaint, we will also file a complaint against the photo shoot conducted in containment zones before the hunting began on Sunday. We will launch strong protests against the panchayat authorities in the coming days,” he warned.

Meanwhile, Koorachundu police have informed that they have received a complaint regarding the shooting of wild boars on Saturday night, and they will discuss the issue with the Forest officials.